
C-vfy, T- 



Souther 



L^c 





/— 



Ways of Working 



OR 



HELPFUL HINTS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL 
OFFICERS AND TEACHERS. 



By 

A. F. SCHAUFFLER, D. D. 

formerly superintendent of olivet sunday 
school, new york. 

New and Revised Edition. 




BOSTON AND CHICAGO 
W. A. WILDE COMPANY 



*£* 



£3= 



<^' 



COPYRIGHT, 1895. 

By W. A. WILDE COMPANY. 

All rights reserved. 



WAYS OF WORKING, 




PROLOGUE. 



All the methods of work suggested in the following 
pages have been tried and approved by the author. 
There is nothing that is merely theoretical. Many 
things other than those alluded to have also been tried, 
and, having proved failures, have been laid aside. 
Nothing but what came through the fire of experience 
unscathed has been dwelt upon. Not all the methods 
recommended have been originated by the author. In 
fact, the land was ransacked during the time of his 
actual superintendency for helpful methods, and, 
wherever these were found, they were adopted. Some- 
times they had to be adapted, as well as adopted, and 
this will probably be the case in many schools who try 
to take up with some of the reforms suggested. But 
if the suggestions given here serve to stimulate others 
in the line of advance the aim of the book will have 
been accomplished. 



A. F. SCHAUFFLER. 



New York City, May, 1895. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

CHAPTER II. 

CHAPTER III. 

CHAPTER IV. 

CHAPTER V. 

CHAPTER VI. 

CHAPTER VII. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

CHAPTER IX. 



CHAPTER 



X. 



CHAPTER XI. 



CHAPTER XII. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



PAGE. 

CHURCH AND SCHOOL 7 

THE PASTOR IN THE SUNDAY 

SCHOOL 10 

THE SUPERINTENDENT—^/;^ char- 
acteristic s, bad and good 20 

THE SUPERINTENDENT — His cabinet 

— Visiting other schools — Taking notes . 29 

THE SUPERINTENDENT— Starting — 

Continuing — Stopping the school ... 39 

THE TEACHER'S MEETING— What it 

should not be — What it should be ... 51 

PRIVATE LESSON STUDY — Helps — 

Maps — Illustrations — Object lessons . . 63 

PRIVATE LESSON STUDY — Bible 

outli?ie 76 

THE ART OF QUESTIONING— To test 

— To fix — To classify thought — How ? 87 

TEACHER OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL — 

Visits — Letters — Sickness 97 

OBJECT TEACHING — Principles — Il- 
lustrations . 105 

THE BLACKBOARD —Directions — Ex- 
amples 118 

THE BLACKBOARD — Additional Helps . 129 

5 



6 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XIV. MUSIC — Leader — Hymns — Tunes— Wor- 
ship 137 

CHAPTER XV. BENEVOLENCE— Weekly — Intelligent . 145 

CHAPTER XVI. THE GRADED SCHOOL — Necessity — 

Advantage — Method 152 

CHAPTER XVII. A POINT OF ORDER-^w gained— 

How kept — Teacher's help 164 

CHAPTER XVIII. PREMIUMS AND REWARDS - Pm- 

ciples 172 

CHAPTER XIX. ENTERTAINMENTS — Christmas— Sun- 
day school Concert — Sociables . . . . 176 

CHAPTER XX. THE LIBRARY — Origin— What books- 
How get them — How deliver them . . . 187 

CHAPTER XXI. THE LIBRARIAN— What kind of a per- 
son — How he may help the teacher ... 193 

CHAPTER XXII. THE PRIMARY CLASS — Its needs and 

how to meet them 205 

CHAPTER XXIII. PRIMARY CLASS WORK— The teacher's 

tools and their use 218 

CHAPTER XXIV. THE HOME DEPARTMENT .... 231 



WAYS OF WORKING. 

CHAPTER I. 

THE CHURCH AND THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 

THE church is not a branch of the Sunday school, 
but the Sunday school is a branch of the church. 
It makes a great difference whether we start with right 
ideas with regard to this matter or with ideas which 
are wrong. There are Sunday schools in the land 
where officers and teachers act as though they were 
entirely independent of the church. In this they make 
a great mistake. 

On the other hand, there are churches who treat their 
Sunday schools as no man would treat his own child. 
They allow the Sunday school teachers to raise the 
money for the current expenses of the school. They 
do not supply the needs of the school with regard to 
music books, lesson helps, library books, or any other 
of those needful paraphernalia of Sunday school work, 
and yet these churches expect the Sunday school to be 
subservient to the church officers. Not unnaturally 
the Sunday school workers feel that if they raise the 
" sinews of war," they are able to direct with regard 
to their expenditure, unassisted by church elders or 
deacons. 



8 WAYS OF WORKING. 

As a matter of fact, every church ought to provide 
for all the wants of its Sunday school with liberal 
hand. From the ranks of Sunday school scholars, the 
future membership of the church must largely come. 
Whether that membership is to be intelligent and well 
instructed in the Bible or not depends upon the work of 
the present generation of Sunday school teachers. 
These teachers ought therefore to be reinforced by 
every facility at our command, and it is the duty, as 
well as the privilege of the church to provide all these 
means of education. 

If the church takes this attitude with regard to its 
school, it may be very sure that the school will look 
to it as its rightful guiding authority. There will be 
no conflict between teachers and elders, and no feel- 
ings of jealousy will arise. 

The church has a perfect right to say who shall 
superintend its own school, and though it may not 
elect the superintendent and his assistant officers, it 
ought to have the power of nomination, or at least of 
veto. 

The pastor of the church is (or at least should be) 
pastor of the Sunday school as well. It is a fatal 
mistake if his face is unfamiliar in the school, and his 
voice rarely heard. Few Sundays in the year should 
pass without his presence to cheer the heart of the 
teacher, and arouse the conscience of the scholar. 
That pastor whose school is loyal to him will find that 
from the ranks of the school he gets his very best 
workers. 



THE CHURCH AND THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 9 

In case of mission schools, where there is no church 
in the immediate vicinity to lean back upon, the school 
may be autonomous or self-governing, but just as soon 
as in such a case a church is formed out of converts 
of that school, the church ought to assume its rightful 
position of authority. It will not be a hindrance to the 
school, but a help to have this take place. 



CHAPTER II. 

THE PASTOR IN THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 

IN the First Place, the pastor must be a thorough 
believer in Sunday-school work. I remember well 
going to make an address at a Sunday-school conven- 
tion held in the church of the most prominent pastor of 
the town. Before going into the pulpit, this pastor took 
me aside and in a most solemn way seated me in a chair, 
and, taking another chair, sat in front of me. He then 
said, "I believe that the Sunday school is doing more 
to make infidels than any other organization, in exist- 
ence." I looked at the man in blank amazement, for 
it seemed to me that I must be dreaming. The idea 
that in this age any intelligent man could give utterance 
to such a sentiment seemed preposterous. How such a 
man could expect to be a helpful pastor of a Sunday 
school surpasses my comprehension. Of course this 
case is exceptional, though there are many ministers 
whose idea of the efficiency of the Sunday-school is so 
low that they look upon it as an entirely secondary mat- 
ter. The pastor should not only believe in the Sunday- 
school work generically, but specifically. His faith 
must be of the kind spoken of by James, which is per- 
fected only by works. That pastor whose faith in Sun- 
day-school work is not strong enough to take him 



THE PASTOR IN THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. II 

frequently into his own school will never accomplish 
very much. 

The Pastor Must of Necessity Love children and 
young people. I regret to say that there are some men 
who live so much in lofty philosophical realms that the 
ways, and wants, and vagaries of children fail to inter- 
est them. They are ill at ease when thrown into a 
crowd of young people, and neither know how to amuse 
them nor be amused by them. Such a man will have 
but little influence in the Sunday school of the church 
over which he is placed. He who does not love young 
people cannot be drawn by five yoke of oxen to gather 
with them and enter into their sympathies, and minister 
to their manifold wants. Indeed, I think that a man 
who does not love children never ought to go into the 
ministry. One of the sweetest characteristics of the re- 
nowned Phillips Brooks was his childlike spirit, and his 
keen sympathy with the boundless enthusiasm of child- 
hood. I have an impression that all truly great men 
love little children. 

The Pastor Should Realize that the Sunday school 
of to-day is the church of to-morrow. Where are we to 
secure our future church members if not out of the 
ranks of the children ? More and more, educators are 
coming to understand that in childhood are all the 
hopes of humanity. If this be so in things secular, 
how much truer is it in things spiritual ! In childhood, 
heaven lies around us, and only when we reach maturer 



12 WAYS OF WORKING. 

years does it seem to fade away. If a pastor realizes 
that these boys in front of him in the primary class are 
one day to be elders, deacons, ministers, and that these 
little girls are to be mothers and teachers, he will then 
begin to understand the superlative importance of work 
among the young. As a matter of fact, the larger part 
of our church membership of to-day has been drawn from 
the Sunday school of yesterday. And what has been 
true in the past is bound to be true again in the future. 

The Pastor Should also Realize his personal re- 
sponsibility for the welfare of the school. Whether he 
feel it or not, it lies at his door. In the last analysis he 
must be the motive power in the school of his church. 
Some pastors are so fortunate as to have competent 
leaders for every department of Sunday-school work 
ready to their hand. Some college graduate is ready 
to act as superintendent, and public school teachers may 
be found to handle Sunday-school classes. These pas- 
tors are to be congratulated. The majority, however, 
are not so fortunate. They find the superintendent a 
man of good impulses, but poor preparation for the 
work. They find a corps of fairly consecrated, but not 
thoroughly competent teachers. What shall such pas- 
tors do? Their very first step must be to realize that it 
is their duty to remedy the state of affairs, and to in- 
troduce one reform after another in as rapid succession 
as their schools will stand it. 

To do this the pastor need not be actually superintend- 
ent, but he must be the power behind the throne, so 



THE PASTOR IN THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 1 3 

shaping things as to bring them, as far as possible, up 
to his ideal standard. 

In Order to do This, the ideas of the pastor him- 
self must be thoroughly clear. He must knovy what he 
wants to accomplish, and at the same time must famil- 
iarize himself with the means by which his ideal is to 
be reached. Our theological seminaries give men a 
most inadequate training in this respect. Indeed, some 
of them give no training at all. They work away like 
beavers on the dry bones of ancient church history, and 
fail to make their students understand that to create new 
church history is of more importance than to understand 
old. 

The Pastor, Therefore, who would have a good 
Sunday school must read up, he" must find out what the 
best schools are doing, and familiarize himself with the 
methods of successful workers. He must understand, 
at least, the first principles of pedagogy, so that he may 
grasp the lines along which all his efforts must run in 
order to be successful. If the leader does not know- 
whither to lead, how shall the follower be profited? I 
commend very strongly, therefore, to all pastors who 
want to be " Workmen who need not to be ashamed," 
to familiarize themselves most thoroughly with every 
detail of Sunday-school work. Judging by my own 
experience, this is a far more complicated line of study 
than that of the mere preparation of sermons, to which 
most ministers give so much time. 



H 



WAYS OF WORKING. 



Supposing, Now, that a Pastor Finds his superin- 
tendent willing but incompetent, what shall he do ? 
Generally, it would be unsafe to set the man aside, and 
often if he were set aside, there is no better man avail- 
able to take his place. The only thing, therefore, to 
be done is to fit the present incumbent for better workc 
This can be done by frequent conferences between the 
pastor and his superintendent. They can then talk 
matters over, and the minister can impart to his co- 
worker the ideas which he himself has gained from 
study and attendance at any of the summer schools for 
Sunday-school workers. The pastor can also commend 
to his superintendent such literature as he has found 
helpful to himself, either giving him the books or 
lending them to him. By his own personal enthusiasm 
he can arouse that of the superintendent, who then feels 
that he and his pastor are, in the truest sense of the 
word, colaborers. Many a superintendent has felt 
discouraged because he found his pastor took no vital 
interest in his work, but left him to " paddle his own 
canoe " as best he could. The result has been that the 
superintendent has gone to his work poorly prepared 
and languid in interest. 

What the Pastor Does for the Superintendent 
he ought proportionately do for his teachers. In reality 
his teachers are probably the most devoted workers he 
has in his church. Willing to do whatever they can, 
they find themselves hampered by lack of preparation 
for their work. If the superintendent is not the proper 



THE PASTOR IN THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 1 5 

man to instruct his teachers, the pastor must do this 
for him. Here comes in that oft-recurring question 
of the teachers' meeting. Every minister ought to 
be able to conduct a successful teachers' meeting. 
Here he becomes acquainted with his workers, finds 
out their deficiencies and excellencies, and meets their 
wants to the best of his ability. Here, also, they 
learn to know their leader, to love him, and trust him 
as they can in no other way. Here in the teachers' 
meeting the most spiritual workers unite their hearts in 
fervent prayer for the conversion or for the spiritual 
culture of their scholars, or for God's blessing on the 
families represented in the school. Nothing, yes, I say 
nothing, can take the place of a teachers' meeting, 
and in no other meeting can the pastor so multiply him- 
self in the spiritual dynamics as here. An evening spent 
regularly with the teachers is far more fruitful than the 
same time spent in visiting among the people. 

To Do the Very Best Work among His Teach- 
ers, the pastor should visit them in their homes fre- 
quently. The influence that they exert is greater than 
that of the average church member, for they come in 
close contact with several persons each, in their classes. 
If, then, the spiritual life of the teacher be low, it is evi- 
dent that that of the class cannot well be high. It will 
not require much knowledge of his school to enable the 
pastor to find out who are his least spiritual teachers. 
As soon as he knows this, his privilege will be to visit 
them, and try to deepen their inner life. In this way, 



l6 WAYS OF WORKING. 

he will reach not them only, but those to whom they are 
ministering in the school. I have seen most encourag- 
ing results to flow from visiting of this kind. Too 
many pastors do much desultory visiting, from which 
little good results. Better spend your time in specific 
visits, such as are suggested above, for you will get 
much more fruitage from them than from pastoral visits 
of the ordinary kind. 

Every Pastor Ought to Visit his school frequently. 
By this I do not mean rushing into the school just 
before its close, and rushing out again, nor do I mean 
such a visit as serves to raise a disturbance. I remem- 
ber well, in a school in Boston, seeing the pastor come 
into the school and pass from class to class, shaking 
hands with the teachers and with some of the scholars, 
and inquiring as to the health of various relatives who 
had been sick. In this way he simply broke up, one 
after the other, the work of each class and ruined the 
effect of that day's session. I suppose he thought he 
was showing proper interest in the welfare of the school, 
and in his ignorance felt he was doing good. "What 
would that pastor have said, if, while he was preaching, 
one of his elders had been charging up and down the 
aisle, shaking hands with A, B, and C, and inquiring 
as to whether relatives had got well of small-pox, 
diphtheria, or some other disease ? What I mean by the 
pastor visiting his school is that he should go in, con- 
forming to the regulations of the school, cooperating 
with instead of interfering with the work of the teachers. 



THE PASTOR IN THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. I J 

By these visits it would be made clear that the pastor 
was the pastor of the school as well as of the church. 

The Right Kind of a Pastor will see to it that 
the ranks of the teachers are kept filled. Every super- 
intendent has difficulties along this line. Church mem- 
bers will not respond to the call of the superintendent 
as they will to that of the pastor. The minister who 
keeps watch of his church membership, and who picks 
out available material for teaching force, will be a tre- 
mendous help to his superintendent along a line where 
all superintendents need aid. 

Since the Worship of God in Song is so impor- 
tant a part in Sunday-school work, the pastor will see 
to it that the singing in his school is not harmful, but 
helpful. He will watch the character of hymns and 
tunes used, and use his utmost influence to secure the 
best in this line. 

Nor Will the Wide-awake Sunday-school Pas- 
tor forget the library. He will see to it that the books 
which come in are suited to the wants of his scholars. 
He will know the contents of that library intelligently, 
so that he can sometimes refer to the books, which the 
scholars are reading, in his sermons. In this way he 
would gain additional influence in his school. 

If the School be not too Large, the pastor 
ought to know every scholar in his home. Of course 



1 8 WAYS OF WORKING. 

in a school of one or two thousand pupils this may not 
be possible, but in a school anywhere below five hun- 
dred strong it is perfectly possible. That is a privi- 
leged man who has five hundred young people with 
whose home surroundings he is perfectly well acquainted, 
and who love to welcome him as he comes into their 
houses. 

If, However, the School be too Large to permit 
of this, at least let the pastor know his church-member 
scholars intimately. They are in the formative period 
of their lives, and if properly cared for now and nur- 
tured, will make splendid workers in the years to come. 
For this reason he should know them intimately, and 
help them to guard against those temptations to which 
the young is exposed. 

I Know a Good Pastor Who Found one little 
device most helpful to him. From time to time he sent 
to each teacher a blank properly filled out, which read 
as follows : — 

" The following scholars in your class are members 
of this church." Then came the names of the scholars 
who were church members. " Please watch over them 
with peculiar care, and as soon as you see anything 
calling for my pastoral aid, let me know promptly." 
Hardly a week passed in that school without some 
teacher calling his attention to the needs of some little 
church member. In this way he was kept in active 



THE PASTOR IN THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 19 

touch with all the believers in his Sunday school. Any 
minister who adopts a course like this will find that his 
teachers are to him like nerves to the body, conveying 
instantly such information as is vital to the welfare of 
the scholar. Many a backsliding boy can be reclaimed 
in this way before he has gone too far, and many a dis- 
couraged child enheartened by prompt attention. 

Of Course, All This Entails Much Work upon 
the pastor, but I bear witness that it pays a thousand- 
fold in the fruitage which the long run of years will 
bring into the garner of the church. Let any pastor 
try it honestly for five years, and he will bear exactly 
the same witness. 



CHAPTER III. 

THE SUPERINTENDENT. 

IN speaking of the officers of the Sunday school, of 
course the superintendent must be placed first. No 
one person can so strongly influence a school for weal 
or woe as he. Many fail to realize this, and the result 
is unfortunate for their schools. Now, I would like to 
draw the picture of some superintendents whom I have 
met, and ask you to consider them carefully. 

The Easy-Going Superintendent. — Care sits 
lightly on this brother. He never lies awake half the 
night thinking of some way in which his school can be 
made better. It is already good enough for him, so 
he lets well enough alone. This man comes to the 
school in time, as a rule, but he is not much put out if 
he is a moment or two late. 

When he does come, even if it is time for the ser- 
vices to commence, he stops near the door and has a 
chat with some teacher who, like himself, is not any 
too prompt. Then he wends his way to the platform, 
and rings the bell for order. While the classes are 
coming to order he is turning over the leaves of the 
hymn-book to find some appropriate hymn with which 
to begin. Of course the scholars have to wait for him, 



THE SUPERINTENDENT. 21 

and the chances are two to one that the hymn that he 
selects is not the best one in the book for that day's les- 
son. But that does not disturb him, for it is not a serious 
matter, after all. 

Having thus set the keynote of easy-going ways, he 
carries the same all through the school exercises, and 
closes with about as much vim as he began. No plan, 
no method, no variety ever characterizes him on the 
platform. The school drawls along this year just about 
as it did last year, neither growing nor falling off, and 
to his mind all is serene. 

The Fault-Finding Superintendent. — If the first 
brother had too much sugar in his composition, this one 
has too much lemon. Scolding seems natural to him, 
and one cannot help pitying his wife and children. As 
soon as the hymn is given out and one verse has been 
sung, he stops the pianist and scolds the school for not 
singing better. The result is never favorable, but that 
makes no difference to him ; he scolds on just the same. 
If any of the classes strikes him as unusually unruly, 
he will call attention to that class, and scold them for 
their behavior. 

When he gives out the notice for the teachers' meet- 
ing he will scold them for not attending better, thinking 
that in this way he will win them to a better observance 
of their duty. If there has been an unusual number of 
scholars tardy, he will make mention of that in a kind 
of "lemon squeezer " way, that has no effect on any 
one, unless it be to disgust them with him and his ways. 



22 WAYS OF WORKING. 

I do not say that he will scold at all these delinquents 
on the same day, but that in the course of a month 
nearly every one but himself will come in for some 
measure of public blame. If only this brother would 
some time give the teachers a chance to turn the tables 
on him, he would soon see how useless all this scolding 
from the platform is. To all such superintendents I 
would say, "Is not an ounce of praise better than a 
pound of blame? " 

The Talkative Superintendent. — He is ^good- 
natured kind of a man, whom nature has afflicted with 
the gift of speech. This gift he thinks it his duty to 
exercise, for is it not his talent? So he begins with 
exhorting all to sing every time a hymn is given out. 
Then he makes a " brief " introduction to the reading 
of the lesson by the school, and perhaps even comments 
on the verses as they are read. In giving out the 
notices, he dilates on them and repeats them ad nau- 
seam, I heard him once give the notices for the annual 
picnic of the school as follows : — 

" Our annual picnic will take place on Wednesday of 

next week, and will be held at Park. You can 

get there by the horse-cars or by the railway. 

Remember that the date is next week Wednesday. 
Those scholars who have baskets that they want to 
have taken to the park can be accommodated if they 
will bring them to the chapel on Wednesday at eight 
in the morning. Don't forget, — eight o'clock sharp. 
And you can go by horse-car or steam-car, as you 



THE SUPERINTENDENT. 23 

please. Bring all your friends. Tickets are only 
twenty-five cents apiece, and we want all to go on next 
Wednesday at eight o'clock sharp, and if you want, 
you can leave your baskets here, and they will be cared 
for." 

This is enough to show how this one did it. In 
reality he was longer than I have indicated above, and 
all the school was wearied out with his ceaseless flow 
of language. 

But the Gibraltar of the talkative superintendent is 
the review. In this he comes out strong, and his school 
always comes out weak. When it comes to the practi- 
cal applications of the lesson, he gets to sermonizing ; 
and, though the teachers see a good many places where 
he could very well stop, he does not seem to see them 
himself, but spins things out so that one is reminded of 
the poet's words, "Men may come, and men may go, 
but you go on forever." 

The Softly Superintendent. — He has nothing 
very positive about him. In fact, his whole manner 
seems apologetic. He has no confidence in himself, 
and, as a consequence, no one else has any confidence 
in him. When he mounts the platform the school is 
hardly aware that he is there. The bell is feebly rung, 
and the hymn so softly announced that not one third of 
the school can hear what the number is. The exercises 
are gone through with in a gentle way that savors more 
of weakness than of force, and the whole school feels 
much as a man might whose backbone was suddenly 



24 WAYS OF WORKING. 

withdrawn. If disorder arises, he remonstrates in a 
softly tone of voice, which of course has no effect on 
the rebels. He prays in such a tone of voice that you 
cannot hear what he is saying, and hardly know when 
he has said "Amen." Scholars have to guess at the 
notices that he whispers, for there is no ring in his voice. 
Bless this dear brother, how ever did he get the office 
that he holds ? Better put a manly woman into the place 
than a womanly man like him. We hope that we may 
soon be able to say, " Peace be to his memory." 

The Self-Conceited Superintendent. — He 
stands at the opposite extreme from the brother just 
mentioned. He knows more than seven men that can 
render a reason. He will never see this criticism, 
because he does not need helps or hints as to the man- 
agement of his school. He knows it all already. No 
one can start a new idea in this school but what he 
magisterially snubs it, since it has not emanated from 
his brain. He frowns upon every reform that he has 
not started, and he starts but few. He is always telling 
"how they do things in our school," but never asks 
how they do them in other schools. Positive, narrow- 
minded, obstinate, vehement, this man will do better 
than the softly leader, but his school will never strike 
twelve. Five or six is as high as it will ever get. 

Now Look at the Helpful Superintendent. — 
He never thinks that his duties are faithfully discharged 
when he has merely opened the school and closed it. 



THE SUPERINTENDENT. 25 

He realizes that almost any one with a clear head can 
do that. To pick out hymns, to offer a prayer, and to 
attend to the arrangement of classes without teachers, — 
this is but a small part of the duties of the office. There 
are other things that are equally helpful in the efficient 
management of the school. For example : — 

1. A Cheerful Disposition is a great help to the 
teacher. The whole school will feel at once the in- 
fluence of a bright, hopeful face turned toward it from 
the platform. On dreadfully stormy days in winter, or 
hot afternoons in summer, when every one is conscious 
of a sense of discomfort, new life may be infused into 
scholar and teacher by a few hearty words from the 
platform. To hear the superintendent say, " I am glad 
to see so many here to-day, in spite of the weather. 
Those who are here must be very much in earnest, and 
therefore I am sure that we shall have a good lesson," 
— I say, to hear such words at the opening of the 
school acts like a tonic on all present. They brace 
right up for their work. 

2. A Wide-Awake Superintendent is a great 
help to the teacher. Most teachers have neither the 
time nor the ability to secure for themselves the best 
lesson helps. If they begin to examine the multitude 
of monthlies and quarterlies, they are apt to become 
confused. A wide-awake leader will help them greatly 
in this respect, and will do much of this work for them. 
He will also be constantly on the alert for new and 



26 WAYS OF WORKING. 

approved methods of working the library, of keeping 
the class records, or of collecting the weekly offerings 
for the Lord's treasury. Of course he will not discard 
any system because it is old, or adopt any one because it 
is new. At the same time he will not be afraid of new 
ideas, but will willingly adopt them, if they come suffi- 
ciently accredited. 

3. A Readiness to Take Suggestions is a very 
helpful trait of character. Some men never smile on 
any plan unless it be a child of their own brain. Such 
men are apt to be childless. Under such a leader the 
teachers for a time present their suggestions in teachers' 
meetings and urge their adoption. But as months and 
years roll by, and they never find their suggestions 
heeded, they either leave the school or else grow dis- 
couraged and hold their peace. There are superintend- 
ents who are keeping their schools stationary because 
they will neither move on themselves nor allow any one 
else to go ahead. How one learns to abhor them ! 
Now, no one man is as wise as all his teachers put 
together. Sometimes a new and inexperienced teacher 
has a new and good idea. His very newness to the 
school may give him a vantage ground, for he has not 
become used to the old and stupid way of doing things, 
and therefore naturally rebels against it. 

4. Indomitable Perseverance is a magnificent 
trait of character. The superintendent should never 
give up because of discouragements. Of course, if he 



THE SUPERINTENDENT. 27 

is the man for the office, he has tried to have a teachers' 
meeting. He may have succeeded or he may have 
failed. But if he has failed once, that is no reason 
why he should fail again. And yet the easily dis- 
couraged superintendent is apt to put the blame on the 
teachers, or else upon the "peculiar circumstances" 
which surround the school. Now, it may be well at 
the start to assure such an one that there are no " pecu- 
liarly " discouraging circumstances in any school. In 
the city it is hard to get teachers to come out, because 
they have so many evening engagements, and because 
many ladies object to going out alone. In the country 
the distances are often great and the roads bad. 
Everywhere there are difficulties. But no difficulty 
should be so great as to hinder the maintenance of 
a teachers' meeting. It took Israel forty years to 
go a six weeks' journey, because they looked at the 
" peculiar difficulties " of the situation. 

Last but not least, personal piety is a very helpful 
characteristic of a good superintendent. Nothing can 
atone for a lack of this. The school will not rise higher 
than its superintendent in this regard. A few words 
here may be helpful. In our religious lives we should 
be very careful to "take up the little foxes that spoil 
the vines, for our vines have tender grapes." Purity of 
speech should be cultivated. An evil story told in the 
store, or listened to, is such a fox. The reading of the 
Sunday newspapers is another fox that spoils many a 
vine which otherwise might bear tender fruit. Inces- 
sant joking with the teachers or in teachers' meeting 



28 WAYS OF WORKING. 

dampens the spiritual life greatly. Not that due cheer- 
fulness is to be avoided, or a laugh to be frowned upon. 
But the spirit of banter and joke must be carefully 
guarded, or it will go too far. All these may be little 
foxes, but remember that it is just the little foxes that 
spoil the vines. 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE SUPERINTENDENT. CONTINUED. 

SO important is this office that we must give to it 
another chapter, giving this time some positive 
suggestions, which we hope will be found helpful. A 
most important adjunct to the work of this officer may 
be found in 

A Superintendent's Cabinet. — Just as the Presi- 
dent of the United States has a Cabinet to assist him 
and advise him in the formation of his plans, so the 
superintendent of a school should have a small body of 
earnest workers around him, to whom he looks for 
advice and support. No man can plan as wisely and 
work as effectively alone as he can when adequately 
supported. Moses with Aaron and Hur is more potent 
than Moses alone. Now, superintendents are apt to fall 
into one of two errors. They either inaugurate and carry 
out new plans without the hearty co-operation of their 
teachers and officers, or they broach all these plans 
before a large teachers' meeting before they have been 
thoroughly digested, and thus excite the hostility of 
some of those present. Either course makes it very 
difficult to carry to a successful issue the plans pro- 
posed. 

29 



30 WAYS OF WORKING. 

A Middle Path is the best one to pursue. If the 
superintendent calls the officers of the school around 
him, and with them examines in detail all the interests 
of the school, he and they, together, will soon coincide 
as to the best method of procedure. Such examination 
and discussion cannot in the first instance be profitably 
carried on in the teachers' meeting for the following 
reasons : — 

(a) It takes too much time. HOURS are necessary, 
and the teachers grow restive and hasten to a vote, to 
the detriment of the matter in hand. 

(#) If the plans proposed involve any radical change, 
some opposition is sure to be aroused, which may be 
fatal to the scheme. At a later stage, and when the 
matter has been carefully considered by a smaller num- 
ber of minds, it can be presented to the teachers with a 
much better chance of acceptance. 

(c) Many plans which a superintendent may propose 
will be found not to be feasible. In an officers' meet- 
ing this will soon be ascertained, and the plan be laid 
aside. To have discussed this plan in the teachers' 
meeting would have been a great waste of time. 

The Direct Advantages of a monthly cabinet 
meeting are many. 

(a) It unifies the officers of the school. They learn 
to act as a body. They learn to lean upon and support 
each other. 

(b) It stimulates each to the very best performance 
of his duty ; for he feels that he has the sympathy of 



THE SUPERINTENDENT. 31 

and is watched by his fellow-workers. If, for example, 
the subject under discussion has been the best method 
of conducting the library, and, light having been obtained 
from various sources, a definite course of action has 
been marked out, the librarians cannot help feeling the 
stimulus of this co-operative council. 

(<:) In such a meeting reports from other successful 
schools may be presented and then discussed at length. 
In this way the best METHODS can be reached and 
adopted. 

(d) After coming to a rational decision, the officers 
can then clearly present the whole question to the teach- 
ers without any needless and impracticable details, and 
-pull together for the adoption of their -plans. 

But How Shall Topics for discussion be found and 
presented to the cabinet meeting? What are the defects 
in your school that call for a remedy? Here lies one 
of the difficulties of the situation. Many a superintend- 
ent knows that there is "something" the matter with 
his school, but what that "something" is he cannot 
tell. And until he finds this out all his efforts to make 
the school better will be of no avail. Now, as a sug- 
gestion that may be of use, I offer the following : — 

Go and Visit Some Good School ; but be very 
sure not to visit as some people do. They come into a 
popular school, sit down, and listen to the singing, hear 
the review, and go out again, asking no questions, tak- 
ing no notes, learning practically nothing. The super- 



32 WAYS OF WORKING. 

intendent who visits any good school should have pencil 
and paper in hand, and use them incessantly. Every- 
thing praiseworthy, every new feature, every unex- 
plained movement, every defect should be carefully 
noted down. No detail noticed should be too insignifi- 
cant to be marked. After the school is closed, the 
visitor should, if possible, ask for an interview with the 
superintendent, or with some to whom this duty is dele- 
gated, and ask all manner of questions that are sug- 
gested by the notes that he has taken. Let him not fail 
to inquire, also, whether there be any points to which 
he has not alluded, which the school that he has visited 
considers important. In this way he can obtain much 
assistance and will ever after carry the impression that he 
has there gained with him. (Now, I hear some super- 
intendent saying, " Oh, I can never leave my school ! " 
Oh, yes, you can, and if you do and are able to bring 
back any good ideas, your absence for a Sunday will 
be better than your presence.) 

After Having Taken the Notes above alluded 
to, let the superintendent take the first opportunity to 
sit down and meditate. Meditation is a grand thing, 
when you have something to meditate upon. Let him 
think over all that he has seen and heard, and begin to 
apply, in imagination, carefully and candidly, all these 
new plans to his own school. Not all of them will 
probably be applicable. But some of them will almost 
surely be useful. If any superintendent of an average 
school visits a first-rate school, and finds no ideas with 



m 



THE SUPERINTENDENT. 33 

which to benefit his own school, that man is unfit for 
his place. 

As a Specimen of Such Notes, let me give the 
following, which I took in a fair school, not fifty miles 
from Boston. 

(a) " Half of each class faces away from the plat- 
form during the devotional exercises." 

This could be remedied by opening the school with 
all the seats so turned as to face the platform. This 
would prevent disorder, arising from the almost neces- 
sary inattention of those scholars who cannot see the 
superintendent. 

(b) " Not enough singing-books. Some boys' classes 
have none at all." 

The remedy is simple. Get more books. Boys will 
not sing without books. Scolding here will do no good, 
till you have done your duty and furnished them 
books. 

(c) " In prayer, many scholars, both old and young, 
kept gazing around the room." 

This is a common and great evil (especially in New 
England). No word should be uttered in prayer till all 
are reverently bowed so as to be, at least, in prayerful 
attitude. 

(d) " Superintendent began to speak before perfect 
order was secured." 

This is bad, and, what is more, needless. Wait till 
the school is in perfect order, and then begin. One 
stroke of the bell is enough to bring the school to order, 



34 



WAYS OF WORKING. 



and if that does not, WAIT QUIETLY TILL THE 
SCHOOL DOES COME TO ORDER. 

(<?) " One small boy came in during prayer, and dis- 
turbed his whole class." 

This was the fault of the superintendent, who should 
have had some one at the door to keep it closed while 
the school was praying. 

(f) "The lesson of the day was not read by the 
school or to the school." 

This was a mistake, as the lesson should always be 
read by the school before it goes into class exercise. 

These were some of the notes that I jotted down at 
the time. They can be duplicated in many schools in 
Massachusetts, but the superintendents of those schools 
are not to this day aware of the difficulties in their work. 
Let them begin to use pencil and paper in this way, 
and they will soon see, as they have never done before. 

Now Let the Superintendent, on the following 
Sunday, examine carefully his own school. Let him 
do with that as he did with the school that he visited 
the previous week, and let him write down carefully all 
that he sees that should be remedied. The record hav- 
ing been made, let him compare it with that of the 
school visited, and see how they compare. Not 
unlikely he will find some of the same faults reappear- 
ing. Let him make a note of them. 

Then Let Him Call His Cabinet together and 
present the result of his investigations. Explain about 



THE SUPERINTENDENT. ' 35 

the school visited and its good and bad points. Show 
the defects that you have discovered in your own school 
and ask if something cannot be done to remedy these 
defects. Do not try to carry out too many reforms at 
once. Take the most important defect first. Then let 
the minor ones follow in due time. But do not stop in 
this work till all the remedies have been applied, and the 
school in this way has been lifted to a higher standard 
than it ever occupied before. 

This Process May Have to be Repeated several 
times in the course of two or three years, but at last the 
superintendent will learn to detect deficiencies in his 
school without going outside of his own walls. In the 
meantime the school will have received much benefit 
from all the care taken of its interests, and will feel the 
pulse of a new energy beating in its veins. 

So much for the superintendent and his cabinet. 

Now r for a Few Words about the superintendent 
and his teachers. He ought to know all his teachers 
in their homes. To do this is not a difficult matter, 
if he is a systematic man. For two or three calls a 
week will enable him to accomplish this. The advant- 
age of this will be apparent when you realize that 
this "home calling" will give him the much needed 
opportunity to talk with each teacher about the specific 
work that he is doing in his class, and to find out 
the difficulties that the teacher encounters. This is a 
great gain both for superintendent and teacher, and 



36 WAYS OF WORKING. 

brings them close together in sympathy for their schol- 
ars. 

Let Him Encourage the Teachers to bring to 
him their criticisms on the way in which the school is 
conducted, and also to tell him of their trials in their 
class work. This will lead them to consider him as their 
personal friend, and make them all the more ready to 
help him in his hard work of superintending the various 
interests of the school as a whole. He, too, can speak 
of his hopes and fears, and of his difficulties as well, 
and he will find in them sympathetic listeners. In this 
way he is helped, and they are made to understand a 
little the burdens that he is bearing. 

Let Him at Times Pray with his teachers. This 
may not always be wise, but many times it will be 
exceedingly proper, and will not in any way be looked 
upon by the teacher as a usurpation of the office of the 
pastor. It is a pity if teacher and superintendent cannot 
thus have mutual sympathy and confidence in each 
other. It is a source of very great strength. 

In This Way, too, the superintendent will find out 
the weakness of the individual teacher, and be able to 
help him and fit him to bear the responsibility that rests 
upon him. The fact is that nothing can take the place 
of this home acquaintance of superintendent and teacher. 

In a Large School of, say, eight hundred or a 
thousand scholars, it will not be possible for the 



THE SUPERINTENDENT. 37 

superintendent to know personally all the scholars, 
especially if he has a mission school, in which changes 
among the scholars are rapid. But as far as possible 
he should know the scholars by name. This is es- 
pecially true in the intermediate and senior departments, 
for in this way he can exert a powerful influence on 
their Christian lives. Every superintendent should at 
all events know all the scholars who are members of 
the church, and also all who think they have accepted 
the Saviour. These should be his especial care, for 
they are the lambs of the flock, and need food con- 
venient for them. For lack of such care the young 
believers often go astray, and are lost to the church 
and to the side of the truth. Watch for conversions, 
but watch also for the growth of those who have been 
converted. 

If You Have Carefully Read all that has been said 
above, it may be that your idea of the responsibility of 
your position as superintendent has grown largely. If 
this is so, I have in a measure accomplished my pur- 
pose in writing as I have done. Too many superin- 
tendents fail to realize what an important office they 
fill, and the result is that they do not FILL it at all. 
No office in the church, except only that of pastor, is 
so important. That of deacon or elder, as found in the 
ordinary church, cannot for a moment be compared 
with it. Magnify, therefore, your office, and remember 
that office is given for the sake, not of its honor, but of 
its service. 



38 WAYS OF WORKING. 

The superintendent is the servant of the teachers and 
scholars over whom he has been placed, and he, of all 
others, should subordinate himself to their welfare. 
" Let him that is chief among you be as he that doth 
serve " are the words of the GREAT SUPERINTEND- 
ENT of us all, and if we are to follow his footsteps 
this is the direction in which we shall tend. For this 
HE will give grace, if we ask for it, and in this he 
will give fruitage if we obey his precepts. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE SUPERINTENDENT. CONTINUED. 

IN the last chapter I gave hints to superintendents 
about planning for their schools. The work 
mapped out pertained mostly to trying to remedy 
defects in the school, by consultation with what I 
called the superintendent's "cabinet." Now I propose 
to suggest some things that every superintendent should 
aim at in his work. The first of these is : — 

Come Early to the School. My idea is that in 
a large school the superintendent should be the first 
one in the school after the doors are opened. There 
are many advantages in this, as, for example, he can 
then see at a glance whether the room is in the order 
that it should be in. Sextons are not perfect, and 
many times the superintendent will find that the room 
is too hot or too cold, and can remedy the difficulty if 
he is on hand promptly. It makes a great difference 
with a school whether these things are carefully at- 
tended to, and, though the teachers and scholars will 
not realize how well they are cared for if all is right, 
they will soon find out if all is not right. 

Then, too, the Superintendent can have time to 

39 



40 WAYS OF WORKING. 

greet his teachers as they arrive one by one, and if 
they know that he will be on hand promptly they will 
be much more likely to try and be prompt as well. A 
late superintendent makes late teachers and scholars. 
If the school be not too large, the superintendent can 
greet the scholars, too, by name, and he will find that 
this small attention gives him great power over the 
affection of his classes. 

But it is not Enough for him to be on hand early. 
He should come as well prepared for all the exercises 
of the school as possible. All that can be foreseen in 
the way of details should have been cared for before 
he left his home. He should, for example, have a 
complete outline of his order of devotional services. 
(Never call these " opening exercises.") The hymns 
should all have been selected, and that, too, with due 
attention to the topic of the lesson for the day. 

If he desires to have any one besides himself lead in 
prayer, he should have fixed on the one whom he 
intends to ask, and as soon as that teacher or officer 
arrives, he should ask him to be ready at the appointed 
time to lead the devotions of the school. No one should 
ever be asked suddenly to lead in prayer, for we need 
preparation of thought for this part of the service as 
well as for teaching a class. 

The manner of conducting the platform review should 
have been settled on before the opening of the school, 
so that it need not trouble the mind or occupy the 
thoughts of the leader after he comes within the walls 



TJIE SUPERINTENDENT. 41 

of his school. All notices should have been put in 
order, and so arranged as not to confuse the school 
when they are given out. There is more in this last 
suggestion than some people think. I have heard a list 
of notices so given out that they left the mind in a con- 
fused state, and one hardly knew what had been said. 

Begin Promptly. I was once in a school where 
I asked the secretary, "What time does the school 
open?" "About half-past two," was the reply. On 
waiting to see what "About half-past two " meant, I 
found that it meant a quarter to three. The scholars 
knew this, too, and they arrived in accordance with 
their estimate of what " About half-past two" was. If 
your school is advertised to open at two, then, as soon 
as the hour comes, BEGIN. Let the doors then be 
closed, and the school brought to order. Never mind 
whether there be two hundred present or only two. In 
this way you will inculcate promptitude on the part of 
teachers and scholars. In no other way can you do it 
as successfully. 

But, After You Have Called the School to 
Order, do not begin the service till perfect quiet reigns. 
Quiet can be had in every school, if you will only wait 
for it. Calling aloud, "Please come to order" or 
repeated ringing of the bell, will avail nothing in this 
case. Wait quietly yourself, and in due time the school 
will recognize that you are waiting for them, and they 
will pay attention to your call. 



4 2 



WAYS OF WORKING. 



The first time I tried this in a school where they had 
been accustomed to have the superintendent ring the 
bell two or three times, and then call for order with his 
voice, I waited for Jive minutes. The school heard the 
bell, but they had been taught that the first bell did not 
really mean order, but that it was preparatory to a 
second, and that to a third bell, and that these were 
preliminary to a call, and then it was time enough to 
come to order. So they paid no attention to my first 
bell, waiting for a second. When at length this did 
not sound, and time passed, they all at once, as if by a 
magic spell, looked to see why the second and third 
bells were not sounded. I then simply said, " We have 
lost five minutes waiting for order. Turn to Hymn 24." 

The next Sunday they came to order much more 
rapidly, and in two or three weeks' time, as soon as the 
first and only bell struck, the whole school at once came 
to order. 

Be Lively in the Conduct of all exercises of the 
school. The major part of your scholars are young, 
and they like to have things "go." If the leader is 
dull or slow, the minds of the children will outrun the 
action of the leader, and the school will tend to be dis- 
orderly. Even the older ones like life and push, and if 
the leader is quick and active, they will feel the impulse 
of his enthusiasm and will respond to it. Therefore be 
prompt in the giving out of the hymns, and as soon as 
the singing is done, be at once ready to go on with the 
next part of the programme, allowing no one to have 



THE SUPERINTENDENT. 43 

any time to think anything between the various parts of 
your exercises. There is nothing like this wideawake- 
ness on the part of the leader, to give tone to the move- 
ments of a Sunday school. 

Launch the Lesson Well. Many superintendents 
will not know what is meant by this expression. It 
means to so present the lesson, before it is read respon- 
sively by the school, that they shall have an intelligent 
idea of what they are about to read. This calls often for 
the connection between last Sunday's lesson and that for 
the day. Many of the scholars have not looked this up, 
and therefore have no intelligent idea of the relationship 
between the lessons. If this is given by the superin- 
tendent before the lesson is read, the help given to the 
school will be greats There are many ways in which 
the reading of the lesson may be made more profitable 
than it generally is. 

For example, in a lesson about Joash, who was only 
seven years old when he began to reign, if, before the 
responsive reading of the lesson, the superintendent 
calls up to the platform a seven-year-old scholar, and 
asks the school what they would think of such a child 
being President of the United States, and then says, 
" We are now going to read about a king no older than 
this child," all the school will read with more of interest 
the story for the day. Do you see now what I mean by 
"launching" the lesson? Any such little device will 
help the whole school, and add freshness to the whole 
study of the Word of God. 



44 WAYS OF WORKING. 

As to the Notices, it makes little difference where 
they come in. But wherever they do come in, they 
should be clearly given, and in such order as to help 
the memory of the school. They need not be repeated, 
for if we get into the habit of repeating them, the school 
will not pay attention the first time. Give all notices 
once, and clearly, and then show the scholars that you 
expect them to pay attention, and to remember what has 
been said from the platform. 

After the School Has Gone into Class Exer- 
cise, some one should keep his eye on the school all 
the time. This is especially true in all large schools, 
particularly if they are mission schools. It has a most 
wholesome influence on teacher and scholar to feel that 
a responsible person is all the time on the lookout for 
the welfare of the school. If there is any danger of 
unruliness on the part of any scholars, it is in this way 
often checked before it has gone too far. Or, if a good 
teacher is in any trouble with a refractory scholar, the 
eye of the superintendent will detect the difficulty, and 
go to the aid of the teacher at once. I know what I am 
speaking about in this regard, as I have frequently 
assisted some struggling teacher to come out victorious, 
instead of leaving her to battle alone, and perhaps be 
defeated. 

Visitors Will Come to any large school that has 
achieved a reputation. These persons are not always 
agreeable, but they have rights, and should be properly 



THE SUPERINTENDENT. 45 

cared for. In very large schools, like "Bethany" in 
Philadelphia, the superintendent cannot see them all 
personally, but in smaller schools this is perfectly possi- 
ble. Then he should do it, for visitors feel the courtesy 
of the effort, and are grateful. He may explain to 
them the working of the school, and what he considers 
its strong points, so that they may go away with a clear 
understanding of what the aim of the leaders of the 
school is. In this way much good may be done to 
those who are really anxious to know how to improve 
their own schools. 

When the Time for Class Teaching has come 
to an end, let the school be called to order as promptly 
as it was in the beginning. In all school work this 
matter of promptitude is one of great importance. The 
teachers should be trained to pay attention to the sum- 
mons from the platform at once, and close their lessons. 
But as they cannot do this at a moment's notice, there 
should be a warning bell, to show that in five minutes 
the school is expected to be ready for the review. Then, 
as soon as the second bell sounds, there should be imme- 
diate silence. Some may say that to gain this so rapidly 
is not possible. I reply it is possible, for I have seen it 
done, year in and year out, in a mission school. It only 
depends on the determination of the leader as to whether 
he shall have it or not. Quiet determination will accom- 
plish wonders in this line, and the result will be that all 
will be grateful to the superintendent for having gained 
such discipline. 



46 WAYS OF WORKING. 

The Platform Review is a very necessary part of 
the school exercise. It is important, because there are 
in every school some teachers who have not done by 
the lesson as well as they should have done, and in 
those classes the scholars have not had as good a 
chance with the lesson as they should have had. Then, 
in all classes the lesson will be more deeply fixed if it 
is reviewed. Remember, repetition is what FIXES 
truth. To many superintendents the platform review 
is a bugbear, and, indeed, in the way in which it is 
sometimes conducted, it is also a bugbear to the school. 
There are a few principles which should always govern 
every review. 

First, it should be SHORT. I say SHORT. If this 
rule is rigidly adhered to, it will never be stupid. Ten 
minutes is TOO LONG for most men to review the 
school in. Make it seven, and you will be nearer the 
mark. Second, it should be by question and answer. 
The questions should be plain, and such as can be 
answered by single words, if possible, or by very short 
sentences at the most. As an example, take a lesson 
on Lazarus. Let the questions be such as the follow- 
ing : Where did Lazarus live? What were the names 
of his two sisters? Which of the sisters first went to 
meet Jesus? Who were in the house with Mary? 
When she went out, what did her friends say? Give 
the shortest verse in this lesson. Any school that is at 
all accustomed to answer will give the proper replies to 
such questions as these. 

But if you ask long and intricate questions, like, 



THE SUPERINTENDENT. 47 

" Why did Jesus not go to Bethany as soon as he was 
called?" you will not get good replies, and the effect 
on the school will be to discourage them from trying to 
answer. When you come to the practical application 
of the most important truth of the lesson, let that be 
brief and to the point. Then let some one lead in 
prayer, asking that the school may have the grace 
to practise what it has this day learned. 

Every School Should Close in as orderly a way 
as that in w r hich it opened. There should be no rush- 
ing out pell-mell. This can be accomplished as easily 
as can be the securing of order at the start. Let the 
teachers be instructed to restrain their scholars a little, 
and let the school close quietly, but solemnly, and all 
the rest will take car£ of itself. I have seen schools 
rush out like a band of wild Indians, but that is alto- 
gether the fault, not of the children, but of the leaders. 
As soon as the leaders understand this, and begin to 
take active measures to secure a change, the school will 
feel the impulse of the movement, and respond. 

After the School Closes many superintendents 
leave at once, and start for home. This is an evil. 
There are many of the teachers, and not unlikely some 
of the scholars, who would like to see him on matters 
of real importance. In fact, if it is a school of any 
size, if there are no persons who have any business 
with the superintendent, it proves that he is not the 
right kind of a man. He has not so acted as to draw 



48 WAYS OF WORKING. 

them toward himself or else he has not aroused his 
co-workers to that pitch of enthusiasm in their work to 
which they should have attained. 

The well-instructed superintendent remains after the 
school has closed until there are no more persons who 
wish to see him. It is a great misfortune, for example, 
if a teacher wants to communicate to him some news 
about a thoughtful scholar, to have him off and away 
before that teacher can reach the desk. At times I have 
had teachers, who, by reason of poor success in teaching 
a hard lesson, have become discouraged, and have come 
to the platform, after the school was over, to present 
¥ their resignations. Kind sympathy has caused them to 
change their minds, and in this way the teacher has been 
saved to the school. If, however, that teacher had been 
allowed to go home without sympathy or friendly coun- 
sel, you would have had a letter in the course of the 
week announcing his resignation, and then it would 
have been much harder to secure a change of determin- 
ation. 

There are many minute things about which teacher 
or scholar want advice, and for which they will come to 
their leader, if he will only give them a chance. To 
refuse this is to lose a great opportunity to draw your 
school closer to yourself. This no wise superintendent 
will lose, for the more close the relation between himself 
and his teachers and scholars, the more good he can 
accomplish in his school. Hand and glove should not 
be closer together than leader and led in this blessed 
work. 



The superintendent. 49 

If the Superintendent Has Done All that we 
have indicated above, he may go home happy, and be 
sure that his teachers will be satisfied with the way in 
which he has tried to help them in their work. They 
will realize that they have a man at the head of the 
school whom it is well to follows and will give him their 
full confidence. 

But His Work for That Day is not yet quite over. 
After he reaches his home, he would do well to sit down, 
and, before he has cooled off, ask himself where he has 
made any mistakes. Let him review the work and see 
if he carried out all his plans as he made them before 
he went to the school. If not, let him ask if he im- 
proved on them, or whether the failure to do as he had 
planned was a mistake. In this way he can help him- 
self for the better performance of his duties the next 
week. 

If he has a critical wife, let him ask her counsel, and 
court her kindly criticisms, for they will in the main be 
just, and, if they err, will certainly not err on the side of 
needless fault-finding. A good wife is from the Lord, 
and can be of much assistance to her husband in such 
matters. The poet says, 

" Oh, wad some power the giftie gie us 
To see oursels as ithers see us." 

This wish may be realized in the w r ay indicated above, 
to the great advantage of both superintendent and 
school. 



5<> 



WAYS OF WORKING, 



He who never makes the same mistake twice will 
make good progress. It is those who make the same 
blunder over and over again who stick in their own 
tracks. Be you not like one of those who never change 
their course of action simply because they never make 
any progress in their ideals of what is the best thing to 
be done. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE TEACHERS' MEETING. 

MUCH good work can be done in the Sunday school 
without a teachers' meeting, but by no means 
such good work as can be done with the aid of a weekly 
meeting for the study of the lesson. No topic in con- 
ventions is more interesting than that of how to conduct 
these meetings, and, as our theme for this chapter, I 
shall take up this question, and try to say some helpful 
things on it. 

The Teachers' Meeting is Exceedingly Impor- 
tant. No one who has ever tried and succeeded will 
deny this. In fact, those who are the most strenuous 
advocates of this meeting are those who have paid the 
most attention to it. Any man who decries it shows by 
his very act that he has no idea of its true value. Ask 
the most successful superintendents in the land what 
they think of it, and with one voice they will bear 
witness to its indispensable character. 

We need waste no more space on this question, but 
shall get to work at once to show how such a meeting 
may be made a success. This I will do by first show- 
ing what a teachers' meeting should not be, and, second, 
by showing what it should be. Finally, I will consider 



52 WAYS OF WORKING. 

some of the difficulties that are in the way of making it 
a complete success. 

The Teachers' Meeting Should Not be a 
Debating Society. There is always danger of 
this. In every school there are some men (and women, 
too) who are argumentatively inclined. As soon as 
they strike any questions that will bear discussion they 
grow combative. The matter of the Divine Decrees 
and Free Will is a fruitful theme with them, and they 
will gladly spend a whole evening tearing that question 
to tatters. The trouble is that at the same time they 
tear the meeting to tatters as well. 

It matters not what the question in debate is, if the 
debaters are allowed to have their own way they will 
ruin any meeting ; for the majority of the teachers have 
come to the class, not for discussion, but for help on 
how to handle their classes on the following Sunday. 
If such discussions are allowed to be carried on, this 
class of teachers will soon tire of the meeting and will 
stay away. Check this evil before it has choked your 
meeting. Talk with the combative brethren before the 
meeting, in private, and ask them not to take the time 
of the teachers with their unpractical questions. If 
they will not heed such gentle admonition, then stop 
them by force, if necessary. 

The Teachers' Meeting Must Not be a 
Lecture. When the pastor takes the charge of the 
meeting, it is apt to develop into a mere lecture. This 



THE TEACHERS MEETING. 53 

is better than nothing, but is evil none the less. One 
way in which pastors are apt to fall into this mistake is 
because they are restive under the suggestions of their 
teachers and combat them. Then the teachers hold 
their peace, and leave the pastor to go on undisturbed 
with his talk. Into this trap he falls all the more easily 
because of the habit formed in the pulpit of continuous 
discourse. But it is a grave mistake. It begets on the 
part of the hearers an inert frame of mind, and they 
listen, but hear not. It would surprise many of these 
teachers'-meeting lecturers, if they could see how little 
real help they are to their teachers, and how little the 
average teacher carries away from such a meeting. 

The Teachers' Meeting Must Not be a Social 
Club. This sometimes happens. The young men 
and maidens gather, and are full of their fun. They 
begin to pass jokes and smart sayings, and are filled 
with the spirit of banter. This is all well enough in its 
way, and at the proper time, but it will kill any 
teachers' meeting in the long run. The serious teachers 
will weary of it, and will show their feelings by stay- 
ing away. There is a time for everything under the 
sun, and the teachers' meeting in not the time for polite 
skylarking. At the same time 

The Teachers' Meeting Must Not be Dull. 
Dulness is an unpardonable sin in many things besides 
teachers' meeting. I have seen the leader sit in his 
chair before the meeting began, and by his solemnity 



54 



WAYS OF WORKING. 



throw a chill over each teacher as he came into the 
room, so that by the time the meeting began you would 
have thought that they had assembled for a funeral, 
and not for the study of the most cheerful book in the 
world. 

If you cut out religion from this world, there is 
nothing left that is truly bright, and why a teachers' 
meeting should ever be a dull thing I cannot under- 
stand. " There is a difference between staring and 
stark mad"; and so there is a difference between a 
frivolous meeting and one that is as stupid as an owl. 
Brighten up, brother, and put a little life into your 
meeting, so that your teachers shall be attracted to it by 
its good cheer. Do not be afraid of a laugh, for it is 
sometimes the best of medicines. 

The Teachers' Meeting Should Not be the 
Tail to Another Meeting. (I know that this is 
sometimes necessary, but it is an evil.) If possible, it 
should have an evening all to itself. I should tell my 
teachers, if I were their pastor, that, if they could attend 
only one meeting in the week, they should omit the 
prayer meeting and be at the teachers' meeting. For 
to them it is far more important than any other meeting 
can be. Give a whole evening to this exercise, and 
then you will exalt it to its proper importance. There 
will be no feeling of hurry because of the lateness of 
the hour, and you will have time to go over the lesson 
with proper care. There are other things to be done 
in the meeting besides the study of the lesson, as we shall 



THE TEACHERS MEETING. 55 

see presently, and for these there is no time if the meeting 
be held after another meeting of an hour in length. Be- 
sides, after another meeting, the teachers are a little 
tired, and cannot give good attention to the topic in 
hand. 

So much for what a teachers' meeting should not be. 
I could say some more things along this line, but this 
will suffice for the present. If I spin my yarn too 
long, I am afraid that teachers will not read it, and I 
had rather write ten words that will be read than a 
hundred that go a-begging for a reader. Now we will 
pass on to see what a teachers' meeting should be. 
And I remark in the first place that 

The Teachers' Meeting is One for the Study 
of the Lesson. In theory, all teachers ought to come 
to the meeting with the lesson already prepared, at least, 
in its outline facts. But as a matter of fact most 
teachers do not find time for this, and for that reason I 
say the meeting must take up the lesson from the very 
beginning, and the leader see to it that the teachers 
know the lesson facts. This is not hard work, provided 
the leader himself knows them. This drawing out of 
the facts of the lesson should be by question and 
answer, for that always was and still is the best of 
methods. At the same time the leader must exercise 
very great wisdom in putting his questions, so as not to 
frighten the timid teacher. 

Teachers have often come to me and promised to 
attend the meeting on condition that I would not ask 



56 WAYS OF WORKING. 

them any questions. This I always agreed to, saying 
that I would give them fair warning before asking any, 
even the simplest question. But by degrees, as they 
gained confidence and became accustomed to the way 
of working, I found that it was not difficult to lead 
them out of their shyness, and then they took part as 
did their comrades. 

In this matter of question and answer the following 
points are always to be brought out. The place, 
where? The time, when? The persons, who? The 
events, what? And the practical application, what 
then? If these are well discussed, and the answers 
made plain, much has been done to help the average 
teacher in his preparation. 

In this illustrations are to be sought for and given, 
and in this, as in all the study, the teachers must be 
encouraged to take part. It is the duty of the teacher 
to give as well as get, and the leader must have the 
skill to make the teachers give out of their stores. The 
leader will know when to add, and when to correct 
gently what is mistaken, and when to bring the matters 
to a practical conclusion. That is what he is leader 
for. It may be hard at the first, but with practice it 
becomes comparatively easy. 

The Teachers' Meeting Should be Devotional. 
It is a great mistake to make it entirely intellectual. 
The work that teachers have in hand has its intensely 
devotional side, and without much prayer will not 
succeed. So opportunity should be given for requests 



THE TEACHERS MEETING. 57 

for prayer, and for a statement of difficulties and en- 
couragements, after which the meeting can unite intel- 
ligently in prayer or in thanksgiving. This gives 
warmth to the gathering, and satisfies some to whom a 
merely intellectual treat would be like a cold dinner. 
Burdens that are borne by sympathizing friends to the 
throne of grace become lighter by that very act, and 
are more easily carried. Let there never be less than 
two prayers, and often more. Let the prayers be short, 
strong, and specific, not running over all the world 
and all time, but for that which just at present lies 
nearest the hearts of the teachers. Teachers should be 
strongly encouraged to bring special cases and ask for 
prayer in their behalf. In this way this part of the 
meeting becomes most delightful. 

The Teachers' Meeting Should Discuss Plans 
for the improvement of the school. Only in this way 
can the school be intelligently worked. If the superin- 
tendent does everything himself, without consultation 
and discussion, he makes a great mistake. His 
teachers will give him an unintelligent support, and at 
times no support at all. They do not fully understand 
the reason why he wants any change, and therefore are 
not themselves really ready for the change. At the 
same time the superintendent will welcome suggestion 
from the teachers for the improvement of the ways 
of working, and in this way the school will make 
advance. 

That school that has not for two years made any 



58 WAYS OF WORKING. 

change in its ways of working has fallen into a rut, 
and, what is worse, does not know it. But if plans are 
discussed, for example, for grading of the school, or 
for a new method of giving out the library books, and 
the teachers have adopted them, they will then be able 
to carry them out with unanimity and enthusiasm. 

As suggestions toward this matter of discussion, let 
me ask a few questions right here. ) 

Is your library in as good a condition as it should be 
in? If not, how can it be improved? 

How is your music? Have you enough books so 
that every scholar can have one to himself? Are the 
books " sung out " ? How can you have better singing? 

Is your school really orderly? Or have you late- 
comers streaming in while you are praying or reading 
the lesson? Do the scholars and teachers read respon- 
sively with enthusiasm, or is that part of the service 
but half-hearted at the best? Where can you improve 
in these matters? 

Have you any blackboard? If not, why not? Why 
do all the best schools have them and use them all the 
time? Is your school better than the best, that you 
consider them useless? 

Are all your classes graded? If not, is it best to 
leave them as they are? If they should be graded, what 
is the best system of grading ? 

Such matters as these should be discussed in the 
teachers' meeting, not necessarily every week, but at 
least once a month, or once a quarter. In this way, 
and only in this way, will your school make progress. 



THE TEACHERS MEETING. 59 

Now, if your teachers' meeting does its work in the 
way suggested above, it will be a power for good, and 
the whole school will feel the impulse of its counsel and 
enthusiasm. 

Now for a few difficulties that are often mentioned in 
connection with the teachers' meeting. 

First Difficulty. We cannot get all our teachers 
to come. Well, what of that? It is not to be expected. 
There are always some teachers who really cannot come 
by reason of household cares or other good hindrances. 
But that does not interfere with those who can come. 
Then there are (unfortunately) in every school some 
teachers who do not in any way realize the importance 
of such a meeting, and they stay away. But there are 
always those who want the help that such a gathering 
affords, and for their sakes it is well worth the while to 
have a meeting. 

If I had a school I should have a teachers' meeting 
if only four teachers came, and should try to make it so 
helpful that the others would by and by feel that they 
could not afford to be absent. Besides, much can be 
done by patient and personal work in persuading those 
teachers to come who at first stay away. 

Second Difficulty. We have no time for such a 
meeting. Pardon me, but that is not true. If you want 
it intensely enough you will find time for it. If the 
pastor or the superintendent feels that the meeting for 
the study of the lesson is of more importance to the 



60 WAYS OF WORKING. 

teachers than any other meeting of the week, they will 
soon make time for it. Any school can be worked up 
to this idea, so that the teachers will as soon think of 
giving up the school session as giving up the preparation 
meeting. I have always found that I can have anything 
reasonable in my school provided I WANT IT WITH 
ALL MY HEART. But if I am half-hearted in the 
matter, I am apt to fail of reaching the goal aimed at. 

Third Difficulty, (This is felt in country dis- 
tricts.) The teachers live so far away that it is not pos- 
sible for them to come ; and, besides, the roads are bad 
and dark. Well, all the teachers are not far from the 
center, and if you take those who are near by you can 
still have your weekly meeting. When I had a country 
charge, and this was true, I had two meetings every 
week, one on an evening, and the other at the nooning, 
when those who lived far away could still have their 
meeting before the session of the school. It was hard 
for me, but I never said that it was easy to have such a 
meeting. It was hard, but what of that? If any man 
is afraid of hard work he had better go to bed and stay 
there. 

Fourth Difficulty. (This is felt in the city.) 
Ladies do not like to go out at night alone. Well, it is 
possible to get teacher-escorts for them from the male 
force of teachers. It takes a little arrangement and 
forethought, but so do all good things. And even if a 
few really cannot come, as I have said before, that does 



THE TEACHERS' MEETING. 6l 

not prevent others from attending. It is not necessary 
to have all the teachers present or even a majority. 
Four earnest teachers can have a very good meeting. 
I have for fourteen years conducted a teachers' meeting 
in the city, and that in a bad part of the town, but we 
never thought of giving it up on that account. We went 
ahead, and found that it did us a world of good. In 
fact, I cannot conceive of difficulties that would hinder 
me from sustaining a meeting, year in and year out. 

Fifth Difficulty. (There are some who think 
that this settles the question.) WE TRIED IT 
OXCE AND IT FAILED. That does not prove 
that it would fail if you tried it again. 

" If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again. " 

It may be that you fell into some of the mistakes that 
I have tried to guard you against above, and that if this 
time you were to steer clear of them you would succeed. 
A thing w r orth having is worth trying for many times. 
If you had in life given up everything that did not suc- 
ceed the first time, how many things you would have 
missed ! 

I well know that to learn to conduct a successful 
teachers' meeting is not an easy matter, but I also know 
that when you do succeed you have accomplished a 
great thing. To my brethren in the ministry I would 
say that it is much harder to manage a good teachers' 
meeting than to conduct a successful prayer meeting. 
But it can be done, and the power of the minister who 



5 2 WAYS OF WORKING. 

has such a meeting is more than doubled in his school 
and church. 

As a rule in most churches, the pastor is the man upon 
whom must fall the work of the teachers' meeting, and 
it is ten thousand pities that the theological seminaries 
do not give instruction along this line of work. They 
had better give fewer lectures on the dry bones of 
church history and doctrines, dead a thousand years 
ago, and more on the living work of a practical pastor. 
But I am afraid that that is past praying for, because 
there is not one professor in ten who could do anything 
but kill a teachers' meeting dead. However, what has 
not been learned in the seminary can be learned outside 
of its walls, and it will pay every minister to learn how 
to have a successful meeting in his parish. 



CHAPTER VII. 



PRIVATE LESSON STUDY. 



NOT many teachers can enjoy the advantages of a 
teachers' meeting, and even those who can will 
admit that it cannot take the place of private study of 
the lesson week by week. As a help in the right direc- 
tion let me suggest the following : — 

Get the Best Lesson Helps. Of such helps 
there is a large number, and, as we might expect, some 
are better than others. The intelligent worker will try 
and select those that are the most practical, and will 
subscribe for them. Never mind whether they are 
denominational or not, for what we want to reach is the 
very best method of teaching the Word of God to our 
scholars. If you are a Congregationalist, and the 
Methodists have better helps than your own denomination, 
take the latter. In this selection of helps, remember 
that what was best last year may not be best this year. 
For writers are changed from time to time, and the old 
are at times better than those who take their places. 
Watch for changes, such as are to be expected, and 
change with them, when they are to your advantage. 

Never Mind the Outcry against helps as 

63 



64 WAYS OF WORKING. 

"crutches." You will often hear this at conventions. 
Generally it comes from ministers who dare not enter 
their pulpits without a finished manuscript, and yet these 
same men cry out against lesson helps as "crutches." 
Pray, what do they use themselves when they preach ? A 
crutch is a good thing when I am lame. Most teachers 
are lame, and confess it freely. For those let there be 
' ' crutches," so that they may walk the better. No man is 
as wise as all his fellowmen together, and what the best 
men say about the lesson must be known to any teacher 
who would be fitted to do his work well. Look out for 
the best, and then use it, whatever anybody may say. 

Begin Your Lesson Study Early in the week. 
Some teachers put off all preparation until Saturday, 
and some even till Sunday morning. All this is 
evil. The plea that they are very busy is not a good 
plea, for it takes no longer to study the lesson on one 
day than on another. The best time to begin the study 
of the lesson for the following week is on the Sunday 
after you have taught the lesson for the day. It is 
not necessary to give much time to it then, but it is 
well to commence and get the text well in mind. This 
will give you the material to think over at odd times 
during the week. Of such odd times, even the most 
busy man has more than he suspects. In such odd 
times he will get golden thoughts that will not come to 
him in the hurry of a late preparation. Every minister 
will bear witness to the fact that some of his best 
thoughts come to him at " odd times." 



PRIVATE LESSON STUDY. 65 

Let the First Thing be a careful reading of the 
text. This should be done prayerfully, and without any 
reference to " helps." Let the teacher see to it at this 
time that he thoroughly understands the text, and so 
masters the story (if there be one) that he could tell it 
again in all its details. This is not so easy a matter as 
many suppose. Do not take it for granted that you 
can do this until you have tried it. Then you may rest 
for awhile and trust your mind to put it into shape, so 
that it shall become part and parcel of your mental 
furniture. 

Be Familiar with the Maps which deal with 
the geography of all lessons. The location of Jeru- 
salem, Babylon, Haran, Bethel, Athens, Philippi 
should be as familiar to you as that of Boston, New 
York, Washington, and Chicago. Every lesson help 
has such maps, and ignorance here is utterly inex- 
cusable. If you can so familiarize yourself with the 
geography of Bible lands as to be able to draw outline 
maps of the countries spoken of, you will find it a great 
power in teaching. Ignorance never gives power, but 
knowledge is potent for good. 

Know the Surroundings of your lessons. If the 
lesson is one about Abraham, be so familiar with his 
surroundings that at once you see tents, camels, cara- 
vans, flocks, herds, wells being dug. Pastoral life will 
then dominate the mental picture that you will form, 
and the whole will become instinct with life. 



66 WAYS OF WORKING. 

If you are teaching about Paul, the scene will at 
once change, and you will be in great cities. Athens, 
Corinth, Ephesus, Rome, with all their splendid 
architectural glories, will form the background of all 
the scenes. If it be Moses at the court of Pharaoh, 
Egyptian temples and pyramids will abound. If 
Moses in the desert is the theme, this will all vanish, 
and in its place we shall have sands, mountains, sheep, 
loneliness, all stretching out for the dreary space of 
forty years. 

If Nehemiah comes up for consideration, we shall at 
once see a ruined city and a discouraged people. 
Soon, however, we shall see walls arising, gates 
being set up, and shall hear the glad shouts of those 
who are rejoicing in presperity returning. This is 
what I mean by being familiar with the surroundings 
of each lesson. It will give intensity to all the events 
of which we learn, and will help us to make them vivid 
to our classes. Do you see? 

Answer Five Questions. — WHERE? This will 
deal with the geography of the lesson. If it be an 
epistle or a prophecy, it will tell you in what land the 
writer was, and in what land the ones to whom he 
wrote were living. For example, the epistle to Timothy 
is more easily understood when I know that it was 
written from Rome, and was addressed to one living in 
luxurious Ephesus. The mental picture that you have 
of the Where will strongly influence all your handling 
of the lesson story. 



PRIVATE LESSON STUDY. 



67 



WHEN? This deals with the chronology of the 
lesson, and is an important factor in the right handling 
of the Word. Patriarchal times differ much from 
prophetic days, and these very largely from those of 
apostolic periods. My When will color much the les- 
sons that I may have to deduce from the text. For 
example, a lie in patriarchal times, when the light en- 
joyed was dim, will not be so strongly condemned by 
me as will the lie of Ananias and Sapphira, who had 
much more light. Many mistakes are made in teach- 
ing, because of the failure to recognize this element of 
dates and surroundings. 

WHO? This question answered will bring out the 
persons with whom the lessons deals. They are the 
actors in the scenes that we are to present to our 
scholars. Here we shall find great variety, for the 
Word presents to us patriarchs, prophets, kings, 
beggars, wise men, fools, rich, poor, proud, humble, — 
one vast procession of " all sorts and conditions of 
men." Some good, some bad, some inspired, others 
uninspired, they walk before us a vast procession with 
features clearly depicted by inspired writers, and all 
for our profit and instruction. Get these well in mind, 
and be able to answer any question that pertains to the 
actors in the lessons that you teach. 

WHAT? This question deals with the events of the 
lesson. What did the men of whom we have just 
spoken do or say? Actors must act, and the more 



68 WAYS OF WORKING. 

vividly we see them as they are on the stage of human 
history, the better will our scholars see them, and the 
more interesting will be our teaching. What you see 
you can make others see ; but what is obscure to you 
will be so to them. 

WHAT THEN? This deals with the practical 
application of the lesson. These actors are all dead, 
and have been for many centuries. We read of their 
actions and study their utterances. What then? What 
is there that we may learn from their mistakes or their 
successes? Here the teacher will have to search out* 
the underlying principles that are constant in their 
application to all men everywhere. Was Solomon wise 
in his talk and foolish in his walk? Well, there are 
to-day many Solomons. They talk well, and they 
know much, but their lives are full of sin. Wise talk 
did not save the king, and it will not save you. Was 
David peculiarly godly in his youth, and was it in his old 
age that he fell into his grievous sins? Well, the same 
is true to-day. You are not safe because you have been 
a Christian for twenty years. Old men sin as well as 
young, and their sins are all the worse on that account. 
This will illustrate what I mean by the What Then? 

Select Main Points for application. There are 
many lessons that teem with salient points, but the 
time of the teacher is limited to (say) half an hour. 
He cannot deal wisely with them all. If he tries, he 
will only leave a confused impression on the minds of 



PRIVATE LESSON STUDY. 69 

his scholars. One good point deeply impressed is 
better than three vaguely presented. It is what your 
scholar remembers, not what he hears only, that will do 
him good. If you have a class of boys, you will pick 
out truths for their guidance varying from those that 
you might select if you were teaching an adult Bible 
class. A mother's class requires very different applica- 
tions of the truth from a class of primary children. 
You see what I mean? 

After having gone over the lesson to select its various 
practical teachings, make another selection to apply 
more especially to the individual scholars under your 
care. I would even go so far as to say that at times I 
would pick out some truth with especial reference to 
some one scholar. In this way we learn to be specific. 
But the more specific I am, the more likely I am to 
help some one. When I call a doctor to my bedside I 
want him to be specific, and not to give me any medi- 
cine on " general jbrinciftles" Treat your scholars in 
the same way as far as possible. 

Look Out for Illustrations. A story that will 
illustrate the point that you wish to make is twice as 
good as an argument. Half the class will not listen to 
an argument, while the dullest scholar pricks up his 
ears as soon as he hears that you are telling a story. I 
have seen listless congregations aroused as soon as the 
preacher began to tell a story, and often the part of the 
sermon that is best remembered (if, indeed, not the only 
part) is the telling story. 



7° WAYS OF WORKING. 

Take these illustrations, if possible, out of your own 
experience. They are for you better than any stories 
that you could get from encyclopaedias of illustration. 
I never could use these. They seem to me like 
mummies, compared with events that I myself have 
witnessed. Look out in daily life for such illustrations. 
They are to be found on every hand. The simplest are 
the best, — things that you see on the cars or on the 
street. These are full of power. The Saviour's illus- 
trations were of this nature. Leaven, which he had 
seen his mother take and use, he afterwards used to 
illustrate the workings of the kingdom of God. Chil- 
dren playing in the market-place, the sower with his 
seed, the fisherman with his nets, — such were the illus- 
trations that he used. Be like him, and, like him, you 
will have power in your teaching. 

Look for Object Lessons. Not every lesson can 
be illustrated by objects, but many can, and in these 
object teachings there is very great power. An object 
of almost any sort, taken into the class, will command 
the attention of even the most careless scholar. For 
example, if the lesson be on the resurrection, let the 
teacher take some flower-seed into the class, and use it 
as Paul indicates in the 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians. 

To illustrate the unseen but not unfelt power of the 
Holy Spirit, the teacher may well make use of a mag- 
net, whose unseen power is felt by every particle of iron 
with which it comes in contact. To make clear the 
blinding nature of sin, a veil may be used, which, 



PRIVATE LESSON STUDY. 7 1 

placed over the eyes, obscures the vision. So a lie told 
obscures the spiritual vision of every child, and as a 
veil doubled and trebled at last shuts out all light, so a 
lie told and told again will at last make a boy totally 
blind to all truth. A handkerchief soiled easily, but 
not so easily cleansed, will set forth the ease with which 
a soul is marred by sin, but with difficulty purified. 

A watch with all its complicated parts will stand for 
the human frame, so complex in all its parts, and will 
set forth the wisdom of God in making so wonderful a 
thing as a human body. As we care for the watch, so 
we should care for our bodies, and minds, and souls. 
As we would not abuse a fine watch, so we should not 
abuse our frames, which are of more value than twenty 
watches. In such ways the teacher should be on the 
lookout for object lessons with which to enforce the 
truth that may be found in any lesson. 

Having Thus Prepared the lesson, let the teacher 
now think of how he will teach it. To do this properly, 
it will be needful to ask questions of the scholars, for a 
lesson in which the scholar is asked no question is a 
lecture, and not a properly taught Sunday school lesson. 
But on the asking of the right kind of question a great 
deal depends. Therefore, let the teacher, with the class 
in mind, prepare a list of questions beforehand^ suited to 
the capacity of the members of the class. This will 
help the teacher himself in the clarification of that 
which he proposes to present to the class. 

Most of the questions that are asked should be of the 



72 WAYS OF WORKING. 

very simplest kind, so as to encourage the scholars to 
give ready answers. Hard questions, while they may 
suit the teacher, will not suit the scholar, and he is the 
one most to be consulted. It will not be necessary for 
all the questions thus prepared to be actually asked, for 
the trend of the lesson may be affected by some unfore- 
seen circumstance. But it is very sure that if no such 
questions are prepared the lesson will not go so well 
as it will with due preparation. 

Have a Clear Outline of these points that you 
wish to make written out on paper. I find this the 
greatest possible help to clearness of teaching. A few 
words will suffice for this, and the fewer the better. If 
the story be a Christmas one, and the lesson be from 
the account by Matthew, let the outline be " Glad tidings 
— Sad tidings." They were glad tidings to the shep- 
herds and to all believers, and sad tidings to Herod and 
all self-seekers. So to-day they are the same, accord- 
ing as men are ready to receive them or reject them. 

If the lesson is Peter's fall, make it run as follows. 
Peter the Apostle, proud, boastful, lying, swearing, 
repenting, restored. If the prodigal son be the theme, 
you can fasten it in the minds of your scholars by the 
words, "A son rebellious, riotous, ruined, reflecting, 
repenting, returning, restored, rejoicing." Boil down 
the statement of your points to the last degree of brevity, 
both for your own sake and for that of those whom you 
are to teach. In this way clearness and ease of remem- 
bering are secured. 



PRIVATE LESSON STUDY. 73 

In All This be Much in Prayer. — God alone 
can give us that truth that shall reach the hearts of our 
scholars, and all work that has not his blessing on it 
will be vain. The word is like seed, and prayer is like 
the early and later rain that waters the seed, and with- 
out which the seed will come to nothing. Yet there are 
many teachers who study, and even try to teach their 
classes, without special prayer. This is folly, and 
worse than folly. A lesson steeped in prayer will be 
sure to do good, while we have no right to expect any- 
thing good from truth taught without the blessing of its 
Author. 

This is one reason why there is so much sowing of 
the seed, and so little reaping of harvest. Remember 
that we have the scholars in that exact time of life when 
we may most confidently expect a harvest. If we do 
not get it in their youth, when can we expect to gather 
it in? Must we wait till they are old in sin before they 
are converted? This is one of the heresies that is most 
harmful, and yet there are many teachers who hardly 
expect to have conversions among their scholars till they 
are well advanced in years. No, no; in childhood we 
may confidently expect them to give their hearts to the 
blessed Lord, if we teach them aright. 

So Much for Specific Directions. — Now for a 
few general remarks. Every teacher should have a 
general knowledge of the Word beyond that demanded 
by the study of those portions that fall to our lot each 
week. There are great and important periods of Bible 



74 WAYS OF WORKING. 

history with which we should all be very familiar. 
They are the central points, and from them we may 
draw many illustrations. Then there are certain great 
personages with whose lives we should be well ac- 
quainted. 

With regard to the periods spoken of, I will instance 
as examples, The Patriarchal Period. The general 
manner of life of the patriarchs should be familiar to us. 
The revelations that God made to them should be mat- 
ters of intimate knowledge. Another very important 
period is that of The Exodus. Here God was giving 
the law, and was amalgamating for himself a people. 
All that pertains to that period is of the utmost impor- 
tance to the teacher of God's Word. Then the Period 
of Reviv al under Elijah and Elisha is very significant. 
The Restoration under Nehemiah is highly interesting 
and full of lessons for the Christian worker. Then, 
of course, the period of our Lord^s life is one of the 
utmost importance, with which no one can be too 
well acquainted. And finally the period of the Foun- 
dation of the Christian Church should receive special 
study. 

Finally, After You Have Taught a Lesson, 
review it on getting home, to see where you have made 
any mistakes. We often make a plan that seems to us 
good before we meet the class, but which on trial is not 
as good as we had hoped it would be. To ascertain 
where the weak spot was, go over the teaching at 
leisure, and ascertain what was redundant or deficient. 



PRIVATE LESSON STUDY. 75 

This will help in all future preparations of lessons. By 
mistakes corrected, the best of men have reached per- 
fection ; whereas, by careless repetition of mistakes, 
men remain where they were, and make no progress. 
This matter of reviewing is not a small one, though to 
you it may be entirely new. Try it, and you will say 
with me that it has very great advantages. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

PRIVATE LESSON STUDY. CONTINUED. 

SINCE the Bible is the one book that we study in the 
Sunday school, and since it is the Word of the 
Living God, and since upon its right understanding so 
much depends in the lives of our scholars, it is apparent, 
at once, that we ought to be well informed with regard 
to its contents. As a help in this direction, I want to 
deal in this chapter with the Book itself. 

We Teach the Most Important Book in All 
the World. — To this statement all give unqualified 
assent. This Book has had more influence on the up- 
lifting of humanity than all other books put together. 
This being so, it is evident that ours is a most important 
work. For we believe that not only the temporal inter- 
ests of our scholars will be largely affected by their 
attitude to this Book, but that their eternal welfare 
depends on how they receive its teachings. Rightly, 
then, to apprehend the work that, as teachers of the 
Word of God, we are called upon to do, is to realize that 
ours is a supremely important task. 

This Book Has Some Very Strange Peculiar- 
ities. — It was written by many men. How many 

7 6 



PRIVATE LESSON STUDY. 77 

exactly we do not know. But about thirty men were 
engaged in the preparation of this volume. And not 
about that, for they lived in different times, far apart the 
one from the other. Between Moses and Paul there 
are fifteen centuries of time. Moreover, these men 
lived in different countries, some being in Palestine, 
some in Rome, Assyria, Babylon, and other parts of 
the world. 

Their education differed much, some, like Moses, 
having had the best educational advantages that the 
world could offer, and others, like Amos or Peter, hav- 
ing had very few opportunities for culture. Some of 
them, too, were rich, and some poorer than poverty ; 
some were on thrones, like David, while others were 
prisoners, like the Apostle John when he wrote the 
Revelation. So we see that in these respects this Book 
is different from any other book that the world has ever 
seen. 

Yet All These Various Books Point to One 
Man. — Jesus Christ is the pivotal character to whom 
all point. Moses, the Psalms, and the Prophets, all 
spake of him. This gives to all these various books, 
by various authors, written at different times and in 
various places, a unity such as no other book in all 
the world possesses. And when, in addition to all 
this, we remember that this Book was written by 
the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God, we begin to 
realize our tremendous responsibility in teaching it to 
others. 



78 ways of working. 

Of Course, in Teaching so Wonderful a Book, 
we must know more than the mere lesson that we have 
to handle on the Sunday with our classes. Imagine, 
for example, a teacher teaching a class about the death 
of Lincoln, who at the same time knew nothing of the 
causes that led to his assassination and the results that 
flowed from it. Should we not say that that teacher 
was not fitted for the work that he was trying to do? 
Yet there are many teachers in our Sunday schools 
who are doing just this same thing. They know some- 
thing about the particular lesson in hand, but they have 
very little idea as to the causes that led to the events of 
which the lesson speaks, or of the consequences that 
followed. This is ignorant teaching and can produce 
but little result. Of course, I know that God can bless 
the foolishness of teaching, but I also know that he is 
far more likely to bless good teaching than bad. 

" But I Have no Time to Study Much," says 
some teacher who has read thus far in this chapter. 
" The field that is here opened up is too wide for a 
busy person like me to fully master." 

Now, wich such a reply I have the greatest sympathy. 
I know how busy many of our best teachers are, and 
that if they are to become masters of the whole Word 
before they teach they will never teach at all. Yet we 
can ill afford to lose them from the ranks of Sunday 
school workers. My very sympathy with them has led 
me to take up this subject. 

I want, if possible, to point out to them a way in 



PRIVATE LESSON STUDY. 79 

which they can gain a good deal more knowledge of 
the Word than they have, with small expenditure of time 
and strength. I have no highway of study that shall 
make effort needless. But I think I have a way that, 
being made smooth for the busy teacher, shall lead him 
farther and better than if he be left to blaze out a path- 
way for himself. 

In a Collection of Books Like Those of the 
Bible there are some parts that are most important, 
others that are important, and yet others that are of 
small importance relatively. The Levitical ritual, in 
many of its details, while very interesting to the close 
student, is not of great importance to the average scholar. 
To fully master much of the imagery of the prophet 
Ezekiel would not pay for the labor involved on the 
part of the busy teacher, as compared with the study 
of the life of Christ or that of Paul. 

On the other hand, there are times and persons about 
which and whom not to be well informed is inexcusable. 
No one can be a good teacher who is ignorant in these 
lines. About crucial times and great leaders we must 
be well informed, if we would be competent to lead our 
classes. Nor is this so difficult as may at first sight 
appear. A little careful study will so familiarize us with 
these that we shall feel at home in dealing with them. In 
order to do this, the very first thing that is requisite is 
that we should know the outline of 

The Chronology of the Bible. — This is easy, 



80 WAYS OF WORKING. 

and a small outline that shall appeal to the eye may 
here be helpful to the teacher, as it has been to me. I 
take it from the " Chautauqua outline," and commend 



j n m z 

it to the careful study of all who want to know a little 
of Bible times. 

The line above represents the four thousand years 
between Adam and Christ, according to Usher's 
chronology. These four thousand years we have 
divided into sections of five hundred years each, and 
have put the first letter of the name of the most promi- 
nent man of each period over or under the line. 

These names, then, are Adam, Jared, Enoch, Noah, 
Abraham, Moses, Solomon, Zerubbabel, and Christ. 
Surely to remember this is not hard. But when remem- 
bered, see how it will help in all your chronological 
placing of the Bible characters ! You can at once 
roughly locate any event or person in the whole history, 
by means of this simple chart. 

Have You a Lesson About Isaac? — Then he 
must fall in the space between the second A and M. 
Anything whatever that happened to Israel in the Land 
of Promise must fall between M and C. All the major 
and most of the minor prophets come between M and Z. 
Whatever happened in the times of the Judges is to be 



PRIVATE LESSON STUDY. gj 

placed between M and S. In this way, you see, you 
can easily locate all persons and events, at least approxi- 
mately, and thus gain an intelligent idea as to the rela- 
tivity of the history of Israel. This is no small matter, 
and yet many teachers have no clear idea of the chron- 
ology of the Word, albeit it is not a difficult matter, 
and, when once mastered, helps much in the intelligent 
study of the Word. 

Do You See the Arch That Spans the Space 
from A to a little beyond the second A? That repre- 
sents the time covered by the one book of Genesis. I 
have seen teachers express great surprise when they 
have for the first time realized what a wide sweep that 
one book has. It covers more time than all the other 
books of the Bible put together. This gives us a new 
idea of the importance of that one book. It shows at a 
glance that if you find a thing in Genesis you place it 
in the time covered by that arch. If anything is found 
in any other book, it must fall to the right of the arch. 

Now Get to Work a Little Yourself. — I 
have given the outline, and it is for you to make 
further use of it. Never read anywhere in the Word 
without placing the part that you read in its proper place 
on this chart. Never try to study a lesson without being 
sure where it belongs among the divisions given here. 
Be a little patient in this, and, I assure you, presently 
you will begin to realize what a help this simple device 
is to you. It would be well for you to take time and 



82 



WAYS OF WORKING. 



draw a chart for yourself, and then locate by letters, 
first, the great personages of the Old Testament on it, 
and then, on another chart, all the prophets, as nearly 
as you can. Since they all fall between S and a little 
after Z, you might draw a larger chart of that five hun- 
dred years, and then subdivide that into sections of one 
hundred (or fifty) years, each, and place the prophets 
in their proper order in that enlarged chart. This will 
make clear to you the relation of the major and minor 
prophets. 

Below You Will Find This Done for You, but 
it will be far better if you will take a piece of paper and 
do it over again for yourself, as that will fix it in your 
mind much more firmly than if you simply glance at 
what some one else has done for you. 



EJ 



H I 



IOOO 



9OO 



800 



J D 



700 



60O 



500 



Here you see the five hundred years from Solomon to 
Zerubbabel, the dates being those b.c. In these sec- 
tions I have placed the names of the prophets, Elijah, 
Elisha, Jonah, Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Eze- 
kiel, and Haggai. Malachi falls after Zerubbabel. 
Of course the date is only approximately marked in 
each case, but it is near enough to serve all practical 
purposes. 



private lesson study. 83 

But This Will Give You Only a Rough Out- 
line of Bible chronology. Something more than this 
is needed. And if you have mastered this, I am sure 
that you will be willing to go on a little further. 

As I said a moment ago, there are some periods and 
some persons in Bible history that are of more impor- 
tance than others. With these we should aim to be 
well acquainted, just as we aim to be with regard to the 
more important periods of our own national history. Of 
these I will only call attention to four. Not that I 
w r ould not like to speak of others, but that I fear to 
frighten the busy teacher into saying, " Well, it is just 
as I thought. He began simj)ly, but now he has gone 
off just like all the rest of them, and lays out so much 
work that it is a sheer impossibility for me to attempt 
it." 

Now, do not be in too much of a hurry in passing 
your judgment. Only try what I am about to suggest, 
and then judge. But do not judge beforehand. If, 
after trying to do as I suggest, you find it is not in 
the range of your ability, then stop. But do not stop 
before you have started. This is what makes so many 
failures. 

The First of These Periods is That of the 
Great Abraham. — When God called him he began 
the formation of that remarkable people through whom 
more of divine truth has come to the world than through 
all other peoples put together. Surely, then, this is an 
important period, and we, as teachers of the Word, 



84 WAYS OF WORKING. 

should be well acquainted with it. Moreover, it is a 
most interesting period of history, and revolves around 
three names, namely, those of father, son, and grand- 
son. 

The mere careful reading of the Bible story here, 
though good in itself, is not enough. The teacher must 
have some help outside of this. This help must be 
condensed and interesting at the same time, and, above 
all, clear. I know of just such a help, and say that it 
can be found in a small but remarkable book, entitled 
"Ages before Moses," by Dr. J. M. Gibson. Any 
good bookseller will get it for you. It costs about 
seventy-five cents. 

Though small, it is a most fascinating book, and the 
chapter on the "Perspective of the Bible " will throw 
more light on the Word than many volumes of the 
ordinary commentary style. Read it carefully, if pos- 
sible marking those passages that seem to you the most 
important. (And here let me tell you a secret. A 
good book well read and digested is of far more value 
than ten big books carelessly read. And, in general, I 
have found that the bigger a book is, the less I get 
from it of value.) 

The Second of These Periods is That of Moses. 
— Of all the men in the Old Testament times, he was 
without controversy the greatest. To him was given a 
larger revelation than to any man before Paul. He 
had the gigantic task of amalgamating the nation and 
instructing them in spiritual things, and, above all, to 



PRIVATE LESSON STUDY. 85 

him was given the revelation of that system of typology 
that spoke of the Messiah. In all the story of Moses, 
the most important thing for the Bible teacher is not the 
mere history, but that great object lesson of Tabernacle, 
Priest, and Sacrifice which typified the suffering and 
work of the Son of God. 

The well-instructed teacher simply MUST know the 
meaning of all the ceremonial if he would understand 
the full meaning of the work of Christ. For here we 
have a threefold set of lessons, all of which point to the 
Saviour. First, the Tabernacle, then the High Priest, 
and, finally, the sacrifices. For a careful and practical 
understanding of this threefold set of types, I commend 
"Christ in the Tabernacle," by White, a small book, 
but most instructive. It costs about seventy-five cents, 
and is well illustrated with colored pictures. 

The Third Important Period to which I will call 
attention is the time of Christ. It is too bad that so 
many of our teachers are so poorly acquainted with 
this. Many of them have not even read any life of 
Christ ; some being discouraged by the size of these 
works, and others by their price. Well, here, as in so 
many other cases, it is not the biggest book that is the 
best for the average teacher. 

I have read lives of Christ by Drs. Deems, Crosby, 
Hanna, Farrar, Geikie, and Edersheim. But all of them 
put together have not helped me as much in a practical 
way as the small " Life of Christ" by Dr. Stalker. Get 
that. It is small and cheap. It will give you a clearer 



86 WAYS OF WORKING. 

idea of the life of the Master than any otner book of its 
size that I know of. Study it well, and then see if it 
does not pay you for all your effort. 

The Fourth Important Period to which I will call 
attention is that of the Apostle Paul. He had more to 
do with the formation of the Christian Church and the 
spread of the truth than any of the other apostles, and 
it is important that you should be well acquainted with 
his work. As Moses was the greatest man in the Old 
Testament, so Paul was the greatest of all the New 
Testament characters (of course excepting Christ). 
Here, again, fortunately, I can commend a small and 
cheap book. It is the life of Paul, written by Dr. 
Stalker, and can be found on any bookseller's counter. 

Now I am Filled with Fear. — For I am sure 
that some of those who have read thus far will make up 
their minds that they will try the course I have outlined 
some day. But day by day will slip by and they will 
postpone the beginning of this study till all that has 
been said will have passed from memory, and the work 
remain undone. What then? Why, send at once for 
one of the books alluded to and try to master that, and 
then I am sure that you will not be content till you have 
done the same with the other three. They are all small, 
but clear, and interesting, and cheap. What more 
could you ask? 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE ART OF QUESTIONING. 

MANY Teachers Think that if they only talk 
through the lesson time to their scholars they 
have taught the lesson. There can be no greater mis- 
take than this. For " lecturing''' is by no means neces- 
sarily teaching. You may talk for half an hour to your 
class, and they be but little wiser when you get through 
than they were at the beginning. In large adult classes, 
where there are timid ladies, you may be obliged to 
do such lecturing, but it never is as good as the collo- 
quial manner of question and answer. For this latter 
keeps the attention of the class by the very change of 
speaker, and by the natural inclination of the human 
mind to pay attention to a question and to its answer as 
well. The advantages of this method are many, and to 
some of them I wish to call especial attention. 

A Question May be Used to Test Knowl- 
edge. — In fact, there is no other way of doing this so 
simple and direct. Many a time the teacher thinks 
that the class has clearer ideas than they really have, 
and by a simple question finds out her mistake. For 
example, a teacher in my school once asked a scholar 
who the Pharisees were. The reply was that they 

87 



SO WAYS OF WORKING. 

were people living in Paris. (The child had in read- 
ing pronounced the word " Parisees.") 

The question brought out the ignorance of the 
scholar, and enabled the teacher to correct the mis- 
understanding. This is why so often in your lesson 
hints you see the words " draw out the lesson facts by 
appropriate questions." Unless you do this, you can 
never be sure that your class even knows what the les- 
son is about. 

A Question May Help to Fix Knowledge. ■ — 
Not so much that which we hear as that which we tell 
is fixed in our minds. We hear much that goes in at 
one ear and out at the other. But that which we tell 
again is apt to be embedded in our memories. Many a 
scholar may think that he knows his lesson, and yet 
when he comes to tell it will find that he does not know 
it as well as he thought that he did. The telling of it 
will help vastly to make the knowledge acquired perma- 
nent, and this is no small matter. For if we only could 
fix all that we ever knew, what wise people we should 
be. It is very important, therefore, that the wise teacher 
should use questions for this needful purpose. 

A Question May Help to Clarify Knowl- 
edge. — Much of our knowledge is muddy, and not 
clear. It requires but little experience in dealing with 
scholars to find this out. They have vague, general 
ideas, and have never taken the trouble to clarify what 
they have acquired. For example, most scholars know 



THE ART OF QUESTIONING. 8o 

that Palestine in the days of Christ was divided into 
three divisions, and some of them know also that these 
divisions were called Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. But 
the geographical relationship of these three provinces 
is not so clear to many. By asking a simple question 
you may clarify their minds. 

For example, if you ask, "Which of these three 
provinces was the most northern?" you at once set 
their minds to work, clarifying what knowledge they 
have, and the result will be that when they have an- 
swered that question they will have a clearer idea of 
these sections than they had before. This applies to 
every department of knowledge. 

A Question May be Used to Arouse Interest. 
— One of the troubles of teachers is found in the lan- 
guid interest that their scholars take in the lessons. 
This is especially true in those classes where the teacher 
does most of the talking. A remedy for this may be 
found in the judicious asking of questions. All scholars 
like to answer a question the answer to which they 
know. It is natural to feel so. If, then, the teacher 
wisely asks questions of the languid scholar, he will, nine 
times out of ten, arouse him or her to some mental action. 
This is what we are after ; for unless we reach this result 
we shall have no results, either intellectual or spiritual. 

For example, if you have a very dull scholar, and 
the lesson is about the martyrdom of Stephen, you can 
always arrest that child's attention by some question 
like this, "Mary, did you ever see a man stoned to 



9° 



WAYS OF WORKING. 



death?" The stupidest scholar will answer such a 
question as this. Or, if the lesson is about Paul, you 
might arouse the very dullest by suddenly asking, 
" Henry, did you ever hear a murderer preach?" Of 
course these are extreme examples of questioning, but I 
have often "had recourse to such questions when I have 
had unusually dull scholars. 

Study your class, and then ask such questions as 
will force them to pay attention, and will arouse their 
interest. 

A Question May be Used to Rebuke Folly. — 
Every experienced teacher knows that this is true. 
There are wise young men (that is, wise in their own 
conceits) who must be at times put to confusion by a 
wisely directed question that will expose their ignorance 
and rebuke their folly. 

A teacher of my acquaintance once had a young man 
in his class who used often to say, " I cannot believe 
what I cannot understand." He thought this was smart. 

One day they were passing a field in which there 
were sheep, horses, and geese, and all happened to be 
eating grass. The teacher called his attention to this, 
and then said, " See, they are all eating grass; but in 
the horse part of this is made into hair ; in the sheep, 
into wool ; and in the goose, into feathers. Can you 
tell me HOW this is done?" 

" No," said the boy. 

" Then I will not believe it," responded the teacher; 
" for I will not believe what I cannot understand." 



THE ART OF QUESTIONING. 91 

This was enough for that boy, and he never again 
uttered that foolish statement. 

A Question May be Used to Develop Thought. 
— Suppose that the lesson is on Moses, and the teacher 
asks, " Henry, who do you think was the greatest man 
in the Old Testament?" This will lead the boy to 
think, and even if he gives the wrong answer he will 
still have done some mental work, and if wrong, can 
then be corrected. The trouble with so many of our 
scholars is that they do not think about what they read 
and learn. One conclusion reached by the scholar as the 
result of his own thought is worth ten conclusions that he 
merely accepts because his teacher gives them to him. 

A Question May Lead to Immediate Action. — 
Only last Sunday, after the preaching service, there 
came an earnest young lady into the inquiry-room, to 
meet the preacher and a friend of his. She was full 
in earnest, but was afraid to decide. The gentleman 
friend said, " If Jesus were himself here, and should 
ask you to give him your hand in token of loyal alle- 
giance to him, would you do it?" 

" Yes," she replied. 

" Now, I ask you in his place to give me your hand in 
token that you take him as your friend. Will you do it ? " 

"Yes," she again replied, and at once they grasped 
each other's hands. 

The question led her to take action that she had long 
deferred, and yet action which she had known that 



9 2 



WAYS OF WORKING. 



she ought to take. This will often be found to be 
the case, and a direct personal question may lead the 
scholar to take action which she would never take with- 
out the push of that question. This is a most important 
use of the question, and yet one which too many teachers 
never make. Have you ever tried it? If not, why not? 

Now All This Means that the teacher must get 
the scholar to talk, and that to this end questions are 
indispensable. Unless you reach this result you ought 
to be thoroughly dissatisfied with your teaching, for it 
is not as good as it should be. You may be a lecturer, 
but you are not a teacher. 

Now You Reply (for it is time that you said some- 
thing), " I have tried this and it has proved a failure." 
Well, that may be, and yet what I have said may also be 
true. For there are ways and ways of questioning. I 
have heard some questioning that I did not wonder 
brought no reply. 

I used to have an elder in a church who tried to ques- 
tion those who applied for admission to the church, and 
in the cases of the little ones the process was not only 
futile, but painful. This was about the style of ques- 
tion that he put : " Now, Mary, we know that all things 
work together for good to God's children, and the fore- 
knowledge and wisdom of God are perfect and his ways 
past finding out; and in view of all this, do you think 
that at all times you will be submissive to his divine 
ordinances? " 



THE ART OF QUESTIONING. 93 

To this what could poor Mary answer? But if he 
had said, " Mary, dear, do you want always to do what 
God wants you to?" he would have gotten a square 
and true answer. This leads me to give some of the 
requirements of good questioning. 

Put Your Questions in Simple Words. — Ses- 
quipedalian words are always bad for children and all 
plain people. Cultivate simplicity to the utmost pos- 
sible limit. YOU CANNOT BE TOO SIMPLE. 
This is the way men talk in their business, and why 
should we not do the same in our religion? Stilted 
talk is the purest folly in this matter, and only con- 
fuses, instead of helping. 

Make Your Questions Short. — Instead of say- 
ing, "What do you think were the characteristics of 
the Apostle Paul?" say, "What kind of a man was 
Paul?" Aim at brevity, for in that is power. Long 
and involved questions only serve to confuse, and thus 
discourage your scholar. It may require some practice 
to do this successfully, but the result is well worth the 
labor it requires. 

Make Your Questions Direct. — Take as an ex- 
ample the lesson on Philip and the Ethiopian. Ask 
questions like the following : — 

"Give the name of the man to whom the angel of 
the Lord spoke." 

"What did he tell him?" 



94 WAYS OF WORKING. 

"Did Philip obey?" 

" Whom did he meet on the way? " 

" What was the eunuch doing at this time? " 

" In what prophet was he reading? " 

" What question did Philip ask him? " 

" What did he reply?" 

" What was the result of their conversation? " 

This is the style of short and direct questions that I 
advocate. The scholars like them, and they help to 
clarify the minds of the class, and bring out the main 
facts of the lesson clearly. 

Sometimes Ask the Question of the whole class, 
and let the first one answer that can. This makes them 
wide-awake and gives a lively movement to the teach- 
ing. The scholar's pride is aroused as to who shall be 
the first to reply, and if not carried too far, this is a 
good result. But there is danger here, and so 

Sometimes Ask the Question of some individual 
in the class. Then do not let any one else reply, for 
that will only confuse matters and hurt the feelings of 
the one whose answer has thus been anticipated. We 
must care for the dull ones as well as for those who are 
wide-awake, and not let the latter monopolize all the 
answers. If you have asked the question of one scholar, 
and she does not give an answer, do not give it up. 
The fault may be not in the scholar, but in the question 
that you have put to her. Then vary the question, and 
see if in some way you cannot still get a satisfactory 



THE ART OF QUESTIONING. 95 

answer. This will show the scholar that you are ready 
to take painj with her, and will gratify her. 

At Other Times Ask a General Question, tell- 
ing the class to be ready to give the answer as soon as 
you call for it, but not before. This gives them all an 
even chance. Then call on some scholar by name, and 
ask for the correct answer. If that one cannot give it, 
ask the others in turn, or throw the answer out for any 
one to give. Whatever you do, do not be stereotyped 
in your methods, for variety is the spice of a great many 
things in this life. 

It is a Good Thing for inexperienced teachers to 
write out their own questions beforehand. You may 
reply that this is not necessary, for you have the printed 
questions in the lesson helps, and they will answer 
every purpose. No; they will not do half as well as 
your own, prepared with a view of meeting the needs 
of your own class. No one else can do as well for my 
class as I can, provided I take the pains that are called 
for in my preparation. 

Then take these questions into the class with you, if 
you are timid, and use them for awhile. You will not 
have done this long before you find that you do not 
need them, and will leave them at home. But you will 
after a time make a further advance in the line of inde- 
pendence, and find the questions will suggest them- 
selves, without your taking the trouble of writing them 
down at home. 



$6 WAYS OF WORKING. 

This is the true luxury of teaching, when you have 
only to be sure that you have mastered the matter and 
the main lines of thought that you wish to pursue, while 
all the rest takes care of itself. 

And Now I Fancy I Hear Some One Say, "It 
is of no use ; I have tried all this before, and it was a 
dismal failure ; so I have gone back to the old way 
of relying on the questions in the lesson helps." 

Well, then, I am truly sorry for you, for you have 
gone from a good thing to a bad. It takes some time 
to become an expert in the wise asking of questions. 
Rome was not built in a day, and you thought that suc- 
cess was going to come to you too soon. A good thing 
always has to be worked for, and the power of handling 
questions to good effect is a very great gift, which can 
be had only if you are willing to work for it. 

All teachers who have excelled in this line have done 
so only by hard work and a vast deal of practice. You, 
too, can, if you will put as much effort into it as they 
did. Try again, and if, after you have really tried for 
one year, you find that you are no nearer the goal than 
you are now, write to me, and I will take back all that 
I have said on this whole question. But before you 
write to me ask your scholars what they think about 
your progress, and if they say that they enjoy your 
teaching better than they used to, you may take it for 
granted that you have really made progress, and so 
need not write to me. This will save you some time 
and one stamp. 



CHAPTER X. 

THE TEACHER OUTSIDE OF THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 
BY MRS. A. F. SCHAUFFLER. 

AS a Teacher You Must not be Satisfied with 
the influence you are able to exert during the hour 
and a half of the Sunday school session. Little oppor- 
tunity is given there for ascertaining the scholars' true 
character and daily habits. And how can you talk to 
the members of your class about meeting temptations, if 
you have not the least idea what those temptations are? 
Think of the proportion of time that they are with you 
compared with the rest of their lives ! One hour and a 
half out of one hundred and sixty-eight hours is spent 
with you every week ! Do not wonder that you do so 
little with your class, but wonder that you do anything. 

No Teacher Can Possibly Teach in the best way 
who does not know the home life of each scholar. Has 
he the blessing of a Christian home, or the misery of a 
drunken father and broken-hearted, despairing mother? 
Ascertain the home surroundings of every one of your 
pupils as soon as possible by a visit. Be sure to time 
your visit judiciously. If it is to a family where the 
mother does her own work, be careful to go in the after- 
noon, at the end of the week; for the reception will be 

97 



98 WAYS OF WORKING. 

very different which you will meet if you go then from 
what it would be if you surprised the mother in the 
midst of the family washing and ironing. Even if the 
parents are not church-goers themselves, they will be 
pleased at your interest in their children, and in nine 
cases out of ten you will meet with a friendly welcome. 

The Opportunity for Direct Work for the par- 
ents often opens before the teacher in the easiest possi- 
ble way, and the invitation to attend church services 
may be quite naturally followed up by an earnest invi- 
tation to accept Christ as a Saviour. Be sure that you 
do not fail to enter this open door of opportunity, for it 
may be that God has given you a larger work to do in 
the home than in the class. " He who lays his hand 
on a child's head lays it upon the mother's heart " ; so, 
if you are a loving teacher, the door is open. If you 
find that the parents are not Christians, and the children 
are, do not fail to ask them to pray for their parents' 
conversion, joining with them, and encouraging their 
efforts by dwelling on the promises made to those who 
ask in faith. 

Make Great Use of the Pen in your intercourse 
with your scholars. Many of them never receive a 
letter all the year through, so that, if you write, it will 
be a great event for them, and your letters will long be 
treasured to be read and re-read. You can say some 
things better in a letter than you can face to face. 
Never use a postal card for anything of a private nature, 



TEACHER OUTSIDE OF THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 99 

but always a sealed letter, or the entire family will be 
likely to read the postal before your scholar ever sees 
it. Do not forget judicious praise when it is possible to 
give it. Praise goes farther than blame. 

When Away from Your Class in the happy holi- 
day time, do not forget to send back cheerful, bright 
letters to the stay-at-home ones, enclosing a tiny photo- 
graph or a pressed flower, to prove that you are think- 
ing of them even when far away ; or, if you are the 
one to remain at home, write to the scholars who are 
absent, so that, in the midst of new scenes and new 
temptations, they may be reminded of all good Sunday 
school influences. 

Ascertain the Birthdays of all the members of 
your class, and write to them, on these occasions, earnest 
words of warning, tender words of sympathy, or hearty 
words of commendation, as your heart prompts you. 
There is a touch of sentiment about a birthday greeting 
which makes it go farther than an ordinary letter. 

How Far the Example of the Teacher Goes 
only the future will disclose. The teacher never knows 
when he is being watched by the keenly critical eyes of 
his scholar. It is wonderful how sharp and bright 
young eyes can be, and how they can look beneath 
the surface. 

A young girl once came before the session of a 
church in New York and applied for membership. 



IOO WAYS OF WORKING. 

When asked what first fixed her attention on divine 
things, she replied : "It was my Sunday school teach- 
er's behavior in church. I sat just behind her, and 
when I saw her reverent and earnest attention to the 
whole service, week after week, it was impressed on 
my heart that the things which she so loved must be 
worth loving, and I began to listen for myself." 

And yet, perchance, this very teacher was discour- 
aged and thought that she was accomplishing nothing. 
Who can estimate the power of a godly life? Dr. 
Stalker says : "Public life for God must be preceded 
by private life with God ; unless God has first spoken 
to a man, it is vain for a man to attempt to speak for 
God." 

Inducing One Scholar to Influence Another 
is a capital way of working. Strong friendships exist 
among the scholars, and often the best results can be 
obtained by a wise use of this fact. If one, in a pair 
of friends, seems more steady than the other, beg the 
steady one to bring his friend to the Sunday service or 
the weekly prayer meeting. All that is best in the 
pupil is thus roused into action, and his influence pro- 
duces effects which you alone could never have accom- 
plished. On the other hand, the teacher sometimes has 
the sadness of seeing a steady scholar led away by a 
wayward one, and then hard work and much prayer 
will alone suffice to bring back the wanderers. Watch 
the friendships in your class, and see in which way 
they are leading your scholars. 



TEACHER OUTSIDE OF THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. IOI 

Sometimes You Will Find these friendships in 
your class suddenly broken up by pique or jealousy ; 
and then comes the teacher's golden opportunity to win 
the reward promised to the peacemaker. Try to ascer- 
tain the cause of the trouble. Make a wise effort to 
smooth things over ; dwell on the beauty and power of 
true friendship and the sweetness of humility in God's 
sight. If you can induce the offending one to say, 
" I am sorry ; please forgive me," to the injured friend, 
your evening prayer will be sweet, and your pillow will 
be one of peace. Often these quarrels have no better 
cause for existing than — "Somebody said you said 
I was — " A quarrel of great height and breadth can 
be built on a foundation so slender. If you have the 
skill to shatter the foundation by proving that it was 
never there, the quarrel soon will come to a peaceful end. 

Redouble All Your Efforts as your scholars 
arrive at the age of sixteen or seventeen. This is the 
crucial period in their lives, and many drift away then 
from church and Sunday school who up to that time 
have been full of promise. The world surges around 
them as they reach an age of independent thought and 
action, and the strong sudden tide too often carries them 
away. Only this week I heard of a mother lamenting 
over her son, a lad of seventeen, who seldom goes to 
Sunday school now, and yet for several years he won 
the reward for regular attendance, never missing a Sun- 
day. He has begun to drift. Look out for such cases 
as this, and speak in time. 



102 WAYS OF WORKING, 

Attention in Time of Illness. — Illness among 
the scholars gives the teachers a grand opportunity for 
service. If there is poverty in the house, there is need 
of food and other comforts. If there is lingering sick- 
ness, either among rich or poor, there is the need of visits 
to cheer the patient, or to comfort those who care for 
the invalid. By all means impress on the other mem- 
bers of the class their privilege in such cases. Some- 
times it is possible for all the class to go together to sing 
hymns and hold a little prayer meeting in the sick-room. 
Best of all the gospel message can be pressed home to 
the heart in the quiet hours of enforced rest, when the 
world is temporarily shut out. Perhaps you may have a 
" shut-in " one among your scholars, who can never come 
to the school, and yet is able to study the weekly lesson. 

Attend the Teachers' Meeting if you possibly 
can. Encourage the older members of your class to go 
with you, if they are advanced enough to act as substi- 
tute teachers. Ask them in turn to be prepared to act 
as substitutes, so that the same ones need not be called 
upon every Sunday. Be faithful in attending all the 
church services, and watch for your scholars when 
there. If they have no regular seat, invite them to sit 
with you, or go and sit with them in the free pews. It 
is hard to go to church Sunday after Sunday alone, with 
no one to care whether you go or not ; and a teacher can 
do much to keep up an interest in the services by being 
always ready to greet her scholars with a welcoming 
smile. 



TEACHER OUTSIDE OF THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. IO3 

Pray with and for Your Pupils. — Pray for 
them by name in your daily devotions ; and do not for- 
get to give hearty thanks when your prayers are heard 
and your pupils begin to lead consistent Christian lives. 
Class prayer meetings are an excellent means of bring- 
ing forward the shy ones, and giving them courage to 
hear their own voices in prayer. Let these meetings 
be held directly after the Sunday school session, in the 
most quiet corner that can be found. Encourage your 
pupils to ask for prayer for any especial subject that is 
near their hearts ; and then, kneeling down in a circle, 
pray first yourself very briefly, and request every mem- 
ber of the class to follow in turn with a few words of 
prayer. Even if it be but one sentence, it is a good 
thing, and the power to pray aloud will soon increase 
by exercise. 

Helping the Superintendent is among the 
teacher's duties ; and one of the best ways to do this is 
to refrain from sharp criticism. "Put yourself in his 
place " continually, so that you can estimate a little his 
difficulties and discouragements. See to it that you are 
neither the one nor the other. If every teacher in the 
school could be superintendent for a few months in turn, 
we should have less criticism and more sympathy. If 
the superintendent does anything which troubles you, do 
not speak of it to any other teacher, but go directly 
to him, and tell him of the cause of your trouble, and 
nine times out of ten this will be sufficient to end the 
difficulty. 



104 ways of working. 

Interest in Missions May be Much Fostered 

by an enthusiastic teacher ; and perhaps some child 
whom you thus influence may one day become a useful 
missionary. Miss Agnew, for forty years an excellent 
missionary in Ceylon, formed the purpose to go to the 
foreign field when only eight years old, although she 
was compelled to wait till she was thirty before she was 
able to fulfil her desire. When Robert Moffat, the great 
African missionary, joined the church in Scotland, at a 
very early age, one old elder was much disturbed ; and 
when some one asked him if there had been any addi- 
tions to the church at the communion season, he replied 
sadly, " No one came forward but wee Bobbie Moffat." 
Could he but have foreseen the grand career of " wee 
Bobbie," how his heart would have swelled with grate- 
ful joy! Perhaps there is a u wee Bobbie" in your 
class. 



CHAPTER XL 

OBJECT TEACHING. 

THERE are Two Main Avenues by which we 
can approach the minds of our scholars. These 
are "eye gate" and "ear gate." Compared with the 
other three senses, these two are by far the most often 
used. If we could appreciate the proportion of knowl- 
edge which enters the child's mind through these two 
gates, we should be much surprised. 

In Childhood the Eye is the Pioneer in All 
Learning. — The child sees, and, as soon as possible, 
begins to ask the meaning of that which appeals to its 
eyes. The ear is largely the mere interpreter of that 
which attracts its attention. The things which make 
the deepest impression on the growing mind are those 
which are seen, while those which are merely heard are 
apt to slip from the memory. We can readily under- 
stand this, if we will make use of our own memories. 

What are the things that we remember from our 
childhood the best? Are they not the pictures that 
attracted us? The Bible stories that we never can for- 
get are those which were illustrated. Even in our 
geographies, the things best remembered are the illus- 
trations of the scenery, customs, and manners of the 

i°5 



106 WAYS OF WORKING. 

lands and people of which the geography spoke. This 
tells the story, and affirms the truth that the eye is a 
most potent factor in the education of the young. 

In Mature Years it is still in large measure the 
same. Our literature bears witness to the fact that the 
eye is a wonderful teacher. We make use of the en- 
graver's art, and the traveler brings his camera into 
play constantly. Look at our monthly magazines and 
see how well the publishers have learned the lesson of 
appealing to the eye. For the eye is not only more 
accurate than the ear in imparting information, but 
it is far more correct, and far swifter. If you want 
to give an idea of a scene or of a piece of machinery, 
a picture will do this far better than a page of explana- 
tion. 

Secular Teachers Know the Truth which we 
are affirming and make use of it continually. No man 
lectures on matters scientific without, if possible, making 
use of the blackboard, or of objects with which to help 
the understanding of his hearers. This is one reason 
why scientific lectures by competent teachers are so 
very popular. The hearers grasp that which is pre- 
sented, and carry it away with them. 

Since These Things are so, ought not all reli- 
gious teachers to make greater use of the eye in their 
work than they do? This goes without saying, and yet 
it still remains true that very few Sunday school teach- 



OBJECT TEACHING. IO7 

ers ever appeal to the eyes of their scholars, excepting 
it be at times by way of showing them a picture or 
two. 

What is the reason for this? In part it arises from 
the fact that teachers have never had their attention 
called to the importance of the* matter, and, in part, 
because they feel that they do not know how to get to 
work. To help them, I write as I do, and my theme is 
the use of object lessons. 

The Fundamental Principle in All Object 
Teaching is the likeness that exists between things 
material and things spiritual. There is an analogy in 
some points between all things material and all things 
spiritual which needs only to be stated to be realized. 
These analogies are the more easily seen by the scholar 
if the object by means of which you propose to illustrate 
a spiritual truth is before their eyes. 

For example, take a watch. A watch is like a boy 
in many particulars. It is made to go. So is a boy. 
Every lad will easily understand this. It sometimes 
gets out of order. So does a boy. If it gets out of 
order, it must be repaired. So must a boy. If he 
loses his temper, he needs repairing in this particular. 
A watch needs to be wound up each day. So the 
Christian boy needs to be wound up each day by his 
heavenly owner, for he cannot to-day get strength for 
to-morrow. To-day he gets what he needs for to-day 
and no more. A watch is a delicate thing and must be 
carefully handled. But a boy is a far more delicate 



108 WAYS OF WORKING. 

thing than a watch, and should therefore take more 
care of himself. 

There are many more analogies between a watch and 
a boy, but these will suffice to illustrate what I mean. 
Of course, the teacher could draw all these analogies 
without having a watch in his hand. But he would fail 
to interest his class as deeply as he can do if, while he 
is speaking, he holds the watch where they all can 
see it. 

What the Teacher then Needs is to Learn 
to See these " likenesses " that, as a matter of fact, 
abound on every hand. A friend once came to my 
study to ask me to give him an object talk, as he had 
to address a gathering of boys soon, and he wanted to 
hold their attention. I said to him: " I will give you 
no object talk. Make one for yourself." 

To this he replied that it was impossible for him to 
do so. I said to him, "There stands a student's lamp 
on the table. Look at it till some likeness suggests 
itself to you." 

Then I went on with my work. For awhile he gazed 
at the lamp in silence. Then he spoke up, and said : 
"It is made to give light." 

" Yes," said I, " and so is a boy." 

" I see," said he. 

" Go on," replied I, " and look till you get another 
likeness." 

Presently he spoke again, and said, " It will not give 
light unless it is lighted." 



OBJECT TEACHING. IO9 

"No more will a boy, till he gets light from him 
who is the light of the world," said I. 

Thus, having begun, he went on and drew out a great 
number of very apt and helpful analogies that could be 
well used in an address to boys. And when he went 
away he had himself worked out a talk which was far 
more helpful to him than if I had stopped my work and 
done it all for him. 

Of Course, in Using Objects in a Class, only 
such things can be taken as will not distract the atten- 
tion of neighboring classes. Should the teacher, how- 
ever, have a classroom to himself, he will be much more 
free, and will be able to use pretty much anything that 
he desires. 

There are, however, multitudes of small objects which 
can be taken by the teacher into the ordinary class, and 
there be made a source not of interest only, but of in- 
struction as well. In the selection of these objects, and 
in the drawing out of analogies suggested by them, 
practice is needed. Let no teacher, however, think 
that because he cannot now make skilful use of material 
things, therefore he ought not to try. 

Let him make the effort consistently and persistently, 
and he will find here, as elsewhere, " experience teaches 
all things." He will find, too, that it is far easier to 
hold the attention of his class. The scholars will come 
more regularly, will remember more perfectly, and will 
behave better than under the ordinary kind of teach- 
ing. 



IIO WAYS OF WORKING. 

In Order to Help the Teacher Along the line 
suggested above, I am now going to give quite a num- 
ber of objects which can be used to illustrate and en- 
force divine truth. The space allotted to me is so 
narrow that I cannot draw out at length the analogies 
which I here suggest. All that I can do is to give the 
teacher some specimen work, and then beseech him to 
follow the lines indicated and work out new analogies 
himself. 

To Illustrate the Principle of Growth in 
Grace seeds of any kind can be used. These seeds 
have in them the principles of life. In this they are 
like the Word of God, which our Master says is seed. 
If these seeds, however, were not planted, and if they 
did not receive moisture, and warmth, and light, they 
would never germinate. So, unless the word is planted 
in the human heart, is watered by the " early and latter 
rain of the Spirit," and is warmed by the rays of the 
" Sun of Righteousness," the seed will remain dead. 

To Illustrate the Fact that " Whatsoever a man 
soweth, that shall he also reap," take two bulbs, one, 
say, a white and the other a purple hyacinth. Tell the 
class what these bulbs are, ask whether if you plant a 
purple bulb it will ever produce a white flower. 

They will reply, " Never." Ask them whether if a 
boy sows lies, he can reap truth. Or if he sows 
drunkenness can he reap sobriety? The teacher can 
easily see how many applications can be made from the 



OBJECT TEACHING. Ill 

analogies drawn between these bulbs and spiritual 
growth. 

To Illustrate the Unseen but Not Unfelt 
Power of the Holy Spirit, take a magnet. At any 
hardware store these can be had for twenty-five cents. 
When you come to make application of the truth to the 
class, produce your magnet, show how it draws tacks, 
or any article of iron. The powder of the magnet is not 
seen, but is felt. So with the work of the Holy Spirit 
on our hearts, — we cannot see him, yet every scholar 
feels his drawing power. Jesus himself said, " And I, 
if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me." 

Should Any Lesson Occur in which God's esti- 
mate of us is set forth, the teacher may well take a 
blank book^ and from it illustrate how God keeps a 
record of our lives. Every thought that we think, 
every word we utter, every deed we perform is by him 
recorded. Just suppose that each day of our lives were 
fully traced out on a page of this book, what do you 
think the record would be? Yesterday's page is filled. 
To-day's is being filled ; to-morrow's is yet blank. Do 
you want to have repeated to-morrow what was re- 
corded yesterday? Something will be recorded. What 
shall it be? 

Hypocrisy is One of the Sins against which the 
Saviour thundered. To try and seem to be what you 
are not is a wicked thing. Take an artificial flower of 



112 WAYS OF WORKING. 

any kind into the class. Show it to the scholars ; ask 
whether this be real or counterfeit. If you were pluck- 
ing flowers in a garden and found that half of them 
were artificial, would you not consider yourself de- 
frauded? How much worse, then, if people, looking 
at us and expecting to find Christian lives, found only 
their counterfeit. We punish counterfeiters in money 
severely when they are detected. Will not God then 
punish counterfeiters in character, whose hypocrisy he 
knows all the time ? 

Take a Spool of Thread into the class some day. 
By means of this many truths may be illustrated. For 
example, you can illustrate the binding force of evil 
habits. Ask the scholar to break one strand of the 
thread, which he can easily do. A double strand he 
will find somewhat more difficult. Now quadruple the 
thread and ask him to break it. He will find it harder 
still. Double your thread now until you have fifteen or 
twenty strands, twist them like a rope, and ask the boy 
to snap it. He will fail. 

So one lie binds a boy slightly, but he can break 
away from this easily ; repeat the lie, quadruple it, 
manifold it, and presently the boy is a confirmed liar, 
and is bound like a slave. The same holds true of the 
drink habit, of gambling, disobedience to parents, or 
any other sin which carries our scholars captive. 

In a Sunday Review Once, a lesson happened to 
be on Samuel, and I was to speak to the scholars. I 



OBJECT TEACHING. H3 

asked if there were any boys there by the name of 
Samuel, and four boys arose. Choosing the best look- 
ing of them, I called him to the platform, blindfolded 
him, then I put the end of a thread into his hands, 
myself holding the other end, and said, " Samuel, when 
you feel this draw, follow." In this way I led him all 
about the Sunday school room, the only connection be- 
tween him and myself being that thread. The whole 
school arose to watch. Presently I said, "Samuel, 
hold back." He stood still, I kept on, the thread 
broke. 

Going back to the platform, I said, "See how 
Samuel was led safely so long as he followed the pull 
of the thread. See how he lost his connection with me 
when he held back ; so the Samuel of our lesson fol- 
lowed when God called, and said, ' Speak, Lord, for 
thy servant heareth.' If he had held back and refused, 
God's guidance would have been offered in vain." 

The Bible Says Much of "traps," "gins,'' 
"snares." All this may be illustrated by a rat-trap, 
taken into the class or used on the platform. This trap 
is baited, and therefore attractive to the creatures, and is 
designed to harm. The attractions are set forth mani- 
festly, the dangers are concealed, so the rat walks in, 
yields to the temptation, is caught and killed. Satan 
has many traps. He tempts boys to take postage 
stamps in the offices where they work, or money from 
the till, setting forth the attractions in hiding the dan- 
gers. The boy yields and is snared. 



ii 4 



WAYS OF WORKING. 



Having Once the Superintending of a rather un- 
ruly school, to which I was a stranger, and the lesson 
being the anointing of the Saviour by Mary, it occurred 
to me to introduce the lesson in such a way as to interest 
the scholars from the start. I took 'a small bottle of 
cologne with me. 

Before the lesson was read responsively, I said, 
"Will all the teachers please come to the platform?" 
This rather aroused the attention of the school, as it was 
an unusual thing. When they were all in front of me, I 
said, " Please take out your handkerchiefs," which 
they did. 

I then poured upon each handkerchief a liberal al- 
lowance of cologne. The scholars watched, greatly 
wondering what I was doing. I then said, " Will the 
teachers please go to their seats, waving their handker- 
chiefs in the air? " which they did, and the whole room 
was filled with fragrance. It pleased the scholars much. 
Then I said, "This room smells sweet, does it not? 
But we are now going to read about a room that smelled 
far more sweetly than this does. Turn to the lesson, 
please." 

That lesson was read with great interest by the school, 
and I had their undivided attention. 

Behold How Great a Matter a Little Fire 
Kindleth, and the tongue is a fire. Illustrate this by 
a match, which you may light or not, as you please. 
Under proper circumstances, this match lighted can 
blow a ship into the air or set a city on fire. So James 



OBJECT TEACHING. 115 

says, "The tongue is a fire," and I have known 
churches set on fire, and Sunday schools put into a 
blaze, and families torn asunder by a wicked use of the 
tongue. 

We All Acknowledge that the Bible is our 
guide from this world to a better land lying beyond. 
In this respect the Bible is to us a kind of compass. 
The teacher, taking a compass into the class, can easily 
explain to the scholars the principles on which it works ; 
tell them that by means of such compasses as this steam- 
ships are guided across the mighty deep, in light and in 
darkness, in mist and in fog. If, however, they disre- 
gard the indications of the needle, danger and disaster 
await them. So through all the experiences of life the 
Bible is our compass. If we follow where it points, we 
are safe, but, "since it is not in man that walketh to 
direct his steps," and since " he that trusteth in his own 
heart is a fool," the man who disregards what the Bible 
says is sure to come to bad ends. 

Many Sunday School Teachers are Amateur 
Photographers. Many lessons can be taught and 
many analogies drawn from photographic processes. 
The sensitized plate is like the heart of the scholar, 
exceedingly sensitive. Let the teacher take into the 
class a plate-holder with a clean plate, also a plate on 
which the image has been developed and fixed. Tell 
the scholars that you hold in your hand a plate so sen- 
sitive that if exposed to the light for the hundredth part 



Il6 WAYS OF WORKING. 

of a second it will record an impression. But, if ex- 
posed wrongly for the same length of time, the plate 
will be ruined. Tell them that you now will ruin the 
plate ; then withdraw the slide, and, showing the plate 
to them, tell them that, because wrongly exposed, it is 
spoiled. 

So the heart of the scholar, exposed to wrong influ- 
ences, is marred, but, exposed to right and sweet in- 
fluences, receives wholesome impressions. I will not 
further develop analogies from the photographic art, 
more than to say that the impression on the plate must 
be developed ; so the impression, of truth on the scholar's 
heart must be developed. Further, the impression must 
be fixed on the plate and heart as well. Finally, the 
impression can be transferred ten thousand times by 
means of one plate. So a scholar, with the image of 
Christ impressed, developed, and fixed on his heart, 
can transfer that same impression- to thousands of others 
in the course of his life. 

A Capital Object Lesson Can be Made by 
means of the piano, organ, and platform. The anal- 
ogies I will suggest are as follows : The piano is made 
to pour forth harmony ; so our lives should be harmoni- 
ous in praising God. Let some one now play the melody 
of a sweet tune with one finger on the instrument. That 
sounds well, and what is it like? Like one single mem- 
ber of the family living to God's praise. There is some- 
thing, however, sweeter than this. Now let the same 
tune be played with soprano and alto. This is sweeter 



OBJECT TEACHING. 11^ 

than the soprano alone. And what is this like? Like 
two sisters in the same family, living for God's service. 
Now let the organist play the same tune with its full 
harmony. This is still better ; and of what does this 
remind us, if it be not of the family where all the mem- 
bers are harmoniously living in the love of God and of 
their fellowmen? 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE BLACKBOARD. 

THE Blackboard is now to be my theme. Not a 
few superintendents refuse utterly to use a black- 
board in their schools. This arises from different 
causes. Sometimes the reason is that they have seen 
such a singular use made of the board at some conven- 
tion or other that they are disgusted with it as a means 
of imparting truth. They have seen the blackboardist 
use crosses, crowns, serpents, landscapes, ships, trees, 
and all manner of symbols, all requiring such artistic 
ability that they have felt that they themselves could 
never do such work, and so have made no attempt to 
use the blackboard in any way. 

Others, Again, Have not Seen any such uses of 
the board, but have simply neglected to think suffi- 
ciently about the matter to persuade themselves that 
there is any advantage in its use for their schools. 
These workers go ahead from week to week, and year 
to year, without so much as asking themselves whether 
it would not be a good thing for all concerned if they 
would make use of a blackboard. They have never 
pondered at all over the question. To all such I want 
to talk to-day, and I do hope that if any of these, my 



THE BLACKBOARD. 119 

fellow-workers, have read thus far, they will now read 
on to the end of what I have to say. 

That the Blackboard is a Very Great Power 
in .teaching is evident from the fact that no good secular 
teacher tries to do without it. The very best teachers 
who speak to intelligent audiences on matters scientific 
make abundant use of the blackboard. And if they do 
so, speaking to adults, how much more ought we to 
follow their example, who address such juvenile audi- 
ences. The fact is, that the younger the hearer the 
more needful is it to use the eye as well as the ear. 
But adults, as well as children, love to be taught by 
the eye, and remember much better that which they 
have seen than that which has appealed to their ears 
alone. 

The Eye is Much Swifter and more accurate in 
conveying truth to the mind. Just think for one 
moment how much better an idea you yourself have of 
an engine when you have seen it than you would have 
by the very best description that you could read about 
it. There is no comparison between the two ways of 
learning. But without the blackboard you are losing 
the swiftest method of approach to the minds of those 
whom you are trying to instruct. Did you ever think 
of this? So much with regard to the importance of 
using the board in your school. Now for a few details 
as to the method of use, such as shall be helpful to the 
average superintendent. 



120 WAYS OF WORKING. 

Get a Good Board. — Often at conventions if I 
ask for a board they give me such a wee mite of a thing 
that I know not what to do with it. Or else, if the 
board is large enough, it has such a smooth surface 
that the chalk slips over it, and does not make a legible 
mark. Such boards are of no avail. For general use 
a board ought to be at least four feet long by two and 
a half wide. In large schools it should be six feet by 
four. If you have little room on your platform, or wish 
to set the board aside during the week, get one mounted 
on a tripod, which can then be folded up and set one 
side by the sexton. The surface of all boards ought to 
be silicated and smooth, but by no means shining. 
With such a board it is a pleasure to work. 

It is Important, too, to Have Good Chalk. — 
For a small school it does not make very much dif- 
ference, but in a school of a couple of hundred mem- 
bers, you must have thick chalk, to work well and be 
legible. I use chalk made in sticks an inch thick and 
about three inches long. It is made in Providence. 
With it any one can print so as to be easily seen in 
the largest church. The eraser, too, is important, since 
if you use an ordinary piece of cloth it smudges the 
board, and makes it look anything but neat. Get a 
chamois leather eraser, which will cost twenty-five 
cents, and last for more than a year. 

And Now I Hear Some One Say, "Yes, that is 
all very well for a rich city school, but our school is 



THE BLACKBOARD. 121 

poor, and cannot afford a twelve-dollar board." Oh, 
yes, you can, if only you think so. If need be, take a 
year in collecting the needed fund. Surely any school 
could do it in that length of time. Or it may be you 
could get some member of the church to give you one 
out and out, if only you had the courage to go to him or 
her. At all events, do not let the price delay you more 
than is necessary, for where there is a will there ought 
to be a way. 

Well, Having Gotten the Board, you ask, 
" What shall be the style of work that I put onto it?" 
My reply is, " Only the very simplest imaginable." 
You need not be ornate or artistic to be helpful. Just 
let the work be clear, and set forth the plain truth, and 
you will have done enough to help teachers and scholars 
in your school. 

Only be Bold in Your Lettering. — An inch 
thick and four inches long is about the right size. 
Do most of the work in the presence of the whole 
school, for that always enlists their attention. To give 
you confidence in this, you will probably have to put 
what you expect to use on the board several times 
before the school assembles. I used to go to my Sun- 
day school room on Saturday and practise for an hour 
sometimes before I was satisfied with the way it worked. 
Then I rubbed it all out, and drew hair-lines on the 
board to mark the top and bottom of my letters, and 
left those to guide me on Sunday. After awhile this 



122 



WAYS OF WORKING. 



was no longer necessary ; for in this, as in many a 
thing, practice makes perfect. 



It is Well for the Leader to be much at home 
with his theme, so as to be able to keep on talking 
while he is putting the required lettering on the board. 
This appeals to the ears of the scholars, while the 
board engages their eyes. But if you have both the 
eyes and the ears of your school, there is no danger 

that they will be in any 
way disorderly. 



EBELLIOUS 

IOTOUS 

UINED 

EPENTANT 

ESTORED 



No. i. 



now, as to the 

ISBPVSPRtI Matter that is to go 

Hjg^^ljuJ^ on the Board. — Some- 
**■ liJB times it is well to put only 

such words on as will sug- 
gest the main facts of the 
lesson. Supposing the lesson is on the Prodigal Son. 
You might then bring out the facts of his experience 
as shown in blackboard No. i. 

Or, if the lesson be that which tells us of the plot of 
Herod against the life of Jesus, you might set this forth 
as in No. 2. 

If the story be that of Zaccheus, you can show how 
the man was seeking Jesus, but found that Jesus was 
also seeking him. Then the board would read both 
down and up as in blackboard No. 3. 



Again, You may not Touch the Facts in the les- 



THE BLACKBOARD. 



123 



GOtfS [HEROD'S 

PLAN 
LIFE IDEATH 



No. 2. 



son, but only dwell on the 

spiritual applications that we 

draw from it. Of course, 

the lessons must be such as 

you can condense into a few 

words. But this is not hard 

to do, as soon as you have 

a little experience in the 

matter. For example, if 

you have a lesson on faith, you can easily bring out 

the way of faith showing the three things that are need- 
ful for salvation as in No. 4. 

Another example of this might be drawn from the 

way in which Saul of Tarsus acted on his conversion, 

which is the way in which 
all men should act. It 
reads as in blackboard 
No. 5. 

Or, if the lesson be an 
invitation to sinners, and 
you wish to emphasize the 
fact that all are invited, 
and that yet they must 

change their way of life if they accept the invitation, 

the board will read as shown in No. 6. 



ZACCHEUS 

SEEKING 

JESUS 



No. 3. 



It is Perfectly Possible sometimes 10 teach moral 
truths by lines only, without any lettering at all. For 
example, I once saw a teacher emphasize the lesson 
in the last chapter of Ecclesiastes, about the duty of 



124 



WAYS OF WORKING. 



ELI EVE IN 
ELONG TO 
ATTLE FOR' 



1 



No. 4 - 



remembering one's Creator in the days of one's youth, 
by five lines. They were arranged as seen in black- 
board No. 7. 

And he so impressed his hearers that one of them 
gave his heart to God on the spot, as a result of the 
teaching. Of course, as he put the lines on the board, 
he "talked to his board " somewhat in the following 
manner: " See, we are all like this first line when we 
come into this world, helpless and lying prone in our 
mother's arms. But we do not remain so for very long. 
Soon the young 
man begins to 
walk in his own 
strength, as you 
see in this line 
here. But even 
that condition 
does not continue forever, for presently you see the 
full-grown man walking upright, and bearing on his 
shoulders the weight of grave business cares. But 
before long he himself begins to feel the weight of 
years and toil, and you see he stoops, for he is old. 



INNING 
E-RV I N G 



No. 5. 



THE BLACKBOARD. 



125 



Now desire begins to fail, for soon he shall go to 
his long home. And, at last, see, like this last line, 
he is prostrate and helpless, and as he came into this 
world, so he must go out. Therefore, remember thy 
Creator in the days of thy youth, before the evil days 
come, when you shall be old and feeble, and death be 
near." 



COME REMAIN NOT 
.AS YOU ARE 



No. 6. 



My Space Will Not Permit Me to go further 
into details as 
to the many 
ways in which 
simple words 
or lines may be 
used by the 
teacher to im- 
press divine truth on the minds and hearts of the 
school or the single scholar. Suffice it to say, that 
after much experience I have found the use of the 
blackboard so essential that I would not be persuaded 
by any argument to abandon it. As I said before, 
the best teachers in Sunday school and in secular 
schools all make use of it, and it is a pity if any 
refuse to do what others have found so useful. 




No. 7. 



And Now, in My Desire 
to Persuade You to use 
the board, may I become a 
little personal ? I know how 
you feel, if you have never 



126 WAYS OF WORKING. 

worked on a board. You feel shy,„and are afraid that 
you will do more harm than good by your efforts. Or 
it may be that you are a little sensitive, and fear that 
you will fail, and that the school will laugh at you 
behind your back. I have felt exactly the same thing. 
Yet the time came when I had the superintendence of a 
school, when I saw that if I did not buy and use a board 
I was a kind of a " back number." So I got one and 
began to work on it as well (or as badly) as I could. 
I used the best helps that were at hand, and copied 
them. 

Then I prepared my talk so as to suit what went on 
the board. Sometimes I am confident I made con- 
spicuous failures, for I was, at the best, a beginner. 
But by degrees things went better, and my letters were 
a little less crooked. At this I took courage, and went 
on. Then I began to work out my own plans, and 
found that with them I could do better than with those 
that I borrowed from others ; not because they were 
better in themselves, but because they were mine, and 
suited me better than the others. 

At First, I Remember that no lesson seemed to 
me to yield a good blackboard exercise. All seemed 
dark and blind. But by degrees I found that many a 
lesson could be condensed into five or six words, so as 
to give its very gist and pith. Blackboard exercises 
came rapidly at last, and it was a pleasure to hunt for 
them. I found, too, that they were helpful to those 
whom I taught, and gave new point to the lesson, 



THE BLACKBOARD. I27 

besides being much more easily remembered. All this 
encouraged me to go on, until I lost all shyness and 
fear, and could work at the board with much ease and 
comfort. 

Of One Thing You Will Have to Beware. 
Not every lesson yields a good blackboard exercise. 
If you cannot get a form of words that really is a help 
to the school, do not use the board for that day. I find 
that I can use the board to advantage in about three 
lessons out of four. And rather than put a foolish 
thing on the board, or one that is of no assistance, I let 
the board go for that day. 

And Now I Hear Some Teachers Say, '" Yes, 
all this is true, and I wish our superintendent would 
buy and use a blackboard. But he is an old fogy and 
won't ; so what is the use of all this to me ? " 

Of a great deal of use, if you act rightly. You need 
not wait for your superintendent to move before you use 
your scholars' eyes as well as ears in teaching. Take 
a block of paper with you into your class, and put on 
that just such truths as I have been talking about in the 
above paragraphs. If it is a good thing for the super- 
intendent to make use of the eyes of the whole school, 
surely it is not a bad thing for you to make use of the 
eyes of your own class. I have known it done many 
hundreds of times right in the class form, and to great 
advantage. If you want to make it still more attractive 
to your scholars, take a colored pencil with you, so that 



128 WAYS OF WORKING. 

the very color shall help to gain their attention. I have 
known scholars to be so impressed with such work in 
the class as to go home and do over again for mother 
all that the teacher had done in the class. This is good 
both for the child and the mother. 

Now, the Least that You Can Do is to Try. 
If you are never willing to try and experiment, you will 
never make any progress. But do not try once or twice 
and then give it up. Try, try, try again. It will, per- 
haps, take you a couple of months to gain ease at this 
kind of work, but the result is well worth the effort. 
Will you not at least make the effort? 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE BLACKBOARD. CONTINUED. 

IN This New Edition of " Ways of Working " it has 
seemed best to add a full chapter on blackboard 
work. There is much inquiry for additional help 
along this line. The blackboard exercises given here- 
with are nearly all those which the writer used in his 
large teachers' classes in New York City during the 
first half of 1897. There were other exercises of which 
he made use which did not seem to be as successful as 
these. . 

Indeed, it Often Happens that a blackboard exer- 
cise which promises well does not turn out as success- 
fully as had been anticipated. All workers have this 
experience. This should not, however, discourage them, 
but simply teach them to do better next time. 

The Blackboard Marked No. 1 was used in con- 
nection with the " Outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the 
day of Pentecost." On the four words contained in this 
exercise the events of that notable day may be strung, 
for there were the miracles of the rushing wind, cloven 
tongues, multiplied languages, and then there was the 
meaning of all this as explained by Peter. Further- 

129 



I3O WAYS OF WORKING. 

more, there was the throng, part of which was filled 
with wonder (marvel), and part of which simply 
mocked. 



In No. 2 We Have Set Forth the position of four 
prominent men in Jerusalem, two of whom had no 
official or social standing, and two of whom were high 
officials of great prominence. In using this exercise 
the leader brings forth the fact that, because of their 
spiritual power, Peter and John were of much use to 
Jerusalem and to the world, whereas Annas and Caia- 
phas, because unspiritual, were of no use to any- 
body. 

Take, for Another Example, No. 3. Here 
we have the facts of the persecution of the early 
church at the time of Stephen's martyrdom clearly 
set forth. In making application of these facts to 
modern times, the teacher may call attention to this 
truth, viz. : that persecution has never injured the 
church of Jesus Christ. The persecuted church is 
almost always a growing church. If it does not 
grow in members, it grows in grace and spiritual 
power. 

No. 4 May be Used to Set Forth the great middle 
wall of partition which divided between the Jew and 
Gentile world. In the mind of the apostles all Jews 
were on one side and all Gentiles on the other. If 



THE BLACKBOARD. 



131 



IRACLE 
EANINGj 
ARVEL 
OCK 



No. IV 






■j. (Pf*r 

1 __ 
1 - 


I \ 


- 1 




L 


ff-^Z 


^ 




— =^~: 


; — 



PETER -ANNAS 
JOHN-CAIPHAS 
MUCH - NO 
USE 



No.lll 

STEPHEN -DIES 
SAU L- RAGES 
CHURCH- FLEES 
TRUTH- GROWS 



NoV SAUL 

persecutes 
Jen itent 

- RAYING 
REACHING 



GOD GUIDES 

CORNELIUSTH fET I 
PETER lUUlVEl 



132 



WAYS OF WORKING. 



No. VII 




No.VIII 

HELPERS 


>^ 


. ^_ 


FREE 


•/^ 


~r^~ 


RESIST 


-C^x 


f-': 


TEMPTED 


^PRIEST 





YIELD 


- 1 ^2^| LEV IT E 


GOOD 
hSAMARlTAN 


BOUND 


~- ~^ 


? ~^S^^-— 


TEMPTERS 


No. IX 


™\ AU L'S 




) RISONS 




-^ ERI LS 




LEASURES 




REACH 1 NGj. 


No,X 


GO 




RIGHT 




ON 




WORKING 


No.XI 


PLAN 


1 "''"'•'" : "v-.- ? ^"i' ; - :r ' : ^.v^ 

1 g K g S&Sjgl 


YO 


U R 


1 JhWjJIm 


WORK 1 



THE BLACKBOARD. 133 

Gentiles were to be saved, they must go through the 
narrow door of ceremonialism and become Jews ; then 
only could they be saved. In the lesson telling of 
Peter's visit to Cornelius we have the record of 
the breaking down of this middle wall of partition. 
When the reviewer comes to that point, let him take 
the eraser and wipe out the wall, thus showing that 
there is no longer any dividing line between Jew 
and Gentile, but that all alike may be saved through 
Jesus Christ. Of course, the drawing of the wall 
ought to be done before the school assembles. It is 
not hard. 

For a Helpful Lesson on Saul's conversion 
No. 5 was found thoroughly useful. The word 
"Saul" and the letter "P" were on the board 
when the review began. The four words, each 
beginning with the letter "P" were drawn out one 
by one from the class and put on the board as the class 
gave them. 

A Good Blackboard Exercise is No. 6. It was 
based on Peter's message to Cornelius. At the begin- 
ning of the review, the words " God guides" were on 
the board. The fact was then drawn out that God 
guided Cornelius to get help. The further fact was 
then educed that God guided Peter to Give help. These 
facts were put down on the board as the school gave 
them. The words " Cornelius " and " Peter " were then 
wiped out, and in their places written the word " me." 



134 WAYS OF WORKING. 

This, then, is the lesson for us in this nineteenth cen- 
tury. 



Very Few Superintendents can do anything in 
the way of drawing, but an exercise like No. 7 any- 
body can do. It can be done in the presence of the 
school, and adds much interest and gives a graphic 
touch to the review. It bears on the story of the Good 
Samaritan. 



A Capital Exercise for any Lesson bearing 
on temptation is No. 8. Here the word "tempted" 
must be on the board before the school begins. 
This is the experience of all of us, for the man 
does not live who has not been tempted. But here 
our experiences part company. There are some who 
start on the up grade and resist. This makes them 
free. They then become in turn helpers to others. 
On the other hand, there are those who yield. The 
result is that they are bound, and, as a rule, they 
reach their lowest depths by becoming tempters of 
others. 



A Capital Plan for the Review of any large 
portion of Paul's life is found in No. 9. I need not 
develop this, as any fairly competent teacher can easily 
see how to make application of the five words on the 
board. 



THE BLACKBOARD. I35 

For a Y. P. S. C. E. Address, I have made good 
use of No. 10. You begin here with the board blank. 
Put on first the word " Go," and speak a little of the 
boundless go of our age, and especially that of young 
people. But " go" may lead a man astray very easily. 
Therefore, all ought to see that they go right. Put the 
word " right" down. Speak, then, about right and 
wrong courses, and how the right may be ascertained. 
Unfortunately, there are those who go right at first, and 
who presently swerve from the narrow path. What we 
need, then, is to go right on. Put the word " on" in 
its place. This means continuity. " To him that over- 
cometh," " He that endureth to the end," etc. Of 
course, for believers it is important that they should 
go right on working. Put the word " working " 
in its place. After talking about such work as your 
particular society ought to do, wipe out everything 
on the board excepting the initial letters of the four 
words. You will then find you have left the word 
" grow." Well, that is just what will happen to 
any Christian Endeavor Society that goes right on 
working. 



Now Finally Look at No. n. This will give di- 
rection to every one who desires to become a competent 
blackboardist. Before you go on to the platform you 
must plan your work. As soon as you get on the plat- 
form, however, you must read these three words up- 
ward, and work your plan. 



136 WAYS OF WORKING. 

Good-by Now to this subject of the blackboard, and 
to you. Do you propose to carry out any of these sug- 
gestions ? If not, so far as you are concerned, printer's 
ink has been spent in vain. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

SUNDAY SCHOOL MUSIC. 

THE Music-Leader. He should have a good 
voice, and not be afraid of using it. Nothing 
will so act on the school as to hear a good voice that 
leads off well. The leader need not shout, for that is 
not necessary or agreeable, but he should sing loud 
enough for all the school to feel the influence of his 
voice. This will encourage the feeble ones who do not 
dare to sing, lest they should make a mistake. 

If the School is Large, he should beat time, 
and that with a leader's baton, in such a way that the 
school can see him. Many leaders whom I see beat 
time so low down that the scholars cannot see their 
hands. This is useless. Hold the hand high, so that 
all may see the motions of the baton, and you will help 
the school in keeping time very much. If the scholars 
still lag, beat the time for a measure or so on the book 
that you hold in your hand, and that will appeal to their 
ears as well as to their eyes, so that they will " come 
up to time." 

When the Tune is New, let the leader sing a line 
at a time, and at once have the school sing it after him. 

137 



I38 WAYS OF WORKING. 

In this way a tune can be learned in a few minutes, and 
the school will see the ease with which it can do new 
and even difficult work. In the lesson quarterlies 
there are nearly always some new tunes, which go 
unused because the leader is afraid to take them up. 
He need not fear, but, on the contrary, should realize 
that the school will be very grateful to him if he gives 
them new things to sing. One new piece every two 
weeks will not tax his ability, and will add much fresh- 
ness to the exercises of the teachers. 

In all this the teacher can help the music-leader 
much by taking part and encouraging the scholars to 
do the same. If the teacher sits idle while the music- 
leader is doing his best to make the school sing, he 
throws a damper on the whole thing. He might better 
stay at home. I do not now refer to that teacher who 
cannot sing, but to that one who can, but will not. 
Try, and you will see how it helps you yourself to 
enjoy the whole service. When teachers, officers, and 
scholars all sing the effect is always good, and the 
classes are then in better spirit to take up the lesson. 

Often the Singing of a school, though good from 
a musical standpoint, is not helpful spiritually. Why is 
this? Because the words are not attended to. Music 
is wings, but the words are the body. Wings without 
a body are of no use, and so music that does not help 
the words is of no avail from a spiritual standpoint. 
Let the scholars understand that the words are the 



SUNDAY SCHOOL MUSIC. 



*39 



MAIN THING in the singing, and try to have them 
sing with understanding as well as the spirit. Let the 
hymns be explained at times, for the scholars fail to 
understand what they sing only too often. How many 
scholars, for example, know what it means to " approach 
the mercy seat"? How many of them catch the mean- 
ing of the words : — 

"Though like a wanderer, 
The sun gone down, 
Darkness be over me, 
My rest a stone " ? 

Let the allusions, therefore, be explained to the school, 
and they will then sing intelligently. This is a much- 
neglected matter, but one of great importance. 

Try to have the Hymns that are given out bear 
some direct reference to the theme of the lesson for the 
day. That is the central point around which every- 
thing should revolve. And yet I have heard hymns 
given out that did not bear the remotest relation to the 
lesson, while at the same time the book that was being 
used had very appropriate hymns that would have been 
far better than the ones that were chosen. We need to 
exercise good common sense in this as in all other 
matters that pertain to our Sunday school work. This 
will require careful selection of the hymns before the 
opening of the school ; but that is the business of those 
who have the charge of the school. What on earth are 
they put there for, if not for work of that kind? 



I4O WAYS OF WORKING. 

Have Books Enough so that each person shall 
have one to himself. I have been in many schools 
where there are not enough books to go around. In 
such cases, I notice that they supply the girls first, and 
the boys get what is left. Then presently the music- 
leader calls out to the boys, " Boys, why don't you 
sing? " They have a very good reason for not singing. 
If there are not enough books to go around, let the boys 
have their share, but, better still, go to work and get 
enough for all. This will cost some money ; but if 
you want the best singing you must pay the bills. 
Many a school there is which lags in this matter, and 
then wonders why its music does not go as well as it 
would like to have it. 

Variety is the Spice of a great many things in 
this life. Therefore, aim to have variety in your manner 
of singing. This is not hard to secure. Have the 
school sing by sides, for example, and they will be 
much pleased. In a tune like " Shall We Gather at the 
River," have one side sing the first line, and the other 
side sing the second, etc., through the verse, and then 
the whole school join in the chorus. This will give a 
very pleasing variety to this part of the exercise, and 
will lead many to try and sing who would otherwise 
sag back and take no part in the music. 

At times let the leader sing the verse, and let the 
school unite in the refrain. If the leader cannot do this 
himself, it may be that he has some teacher or scholar 
who can do it well. Use all the talent that you have. 



SUNDAY SCHOOL MUSIC. I4I 

In some schools there is a boy who can play on the violin, 
and another who can do fair work on the flute. Use 
these boys, and you will attach them to the school very 
strongly, and at the same time have a pleasing variety. 
At times have the boys only sing, or the girls only, and 
then let all join in at the signal given by the leader. 

There are other ways besides these that I have indi- 
cated, which will occur to any wide-awake leader who 
thinks about how he can do better than he has been 
doing. Only let him not go to sleep and think that his 
school is doing as well as it possibly can. 

In Some Schools I have seen this done. The 
hymn was not sung at all, but was read responsively 
by superintendent and school. This is a good thing for 
a change, as it makes the school think of the meaning 
of the words of the hymn, and not of the music only. 
Of course this should not be done often, but only once 
in a while. 

Whispered Tunes are very agreeable. Most schools 
sing too loud, and in some that I have visited they 
seem to think that bawling is singing. Loud singing 
is proper at times, especially in triumphant pieces. But 
many tunes are spoiled by the volume of voice that the 
scholars are encouraged to pour forth. In mission 
schools, where the tendency is to loud talk, quiet hymns 
are a great help to stillness. Let the leader train the 
school to this quiet singing when the theme calls for it, 
and then the loud chorus will sound all the louder when 



142 



WAYS OF WORKING. 



it comes. Contrast is a grand thing, and can be reached 
in this way very effectively. 

In Schools Where Much is Made of the music, 
so that they sing a great deal, there ought to be more 
than one complete set of books. This will give variety, 
so that for some weeks one of the books may be used, 
and then for awhile laid aside, and the other brought 
out. In the school which for fourteen years I super- 
intended we had four different sets of books. In this 
way we never " sang one book to death." This, again, 
cost money, but it pays well ; and the church that treats 
its scholars liberally will by and by take such a pride in 
the singing of its school that it will not grudge it the 
needful money for books. 

When the Time for the Christmas or Easter 
music comes round, do not stop or curtail the time for 
the lesson. Many schools at the holiday time are 
demoralized by their musical drill. There is no need 
for this at all ; and if the music-leader says there is, he 
is mistaken. Fifteen minutes each day for six weeks 
before the celebration is enough for any school to learn 
its new hymns. Only this time must be used and not 
frittered away in idle talk. Most leaders talk too much 
and sing too little. Hard work will conquer a tune in 
six minutes, and then a new one can be brought for- 
ward. In this way the lesson-time may still be main- 
tained, and the school learn all the Christmas hymns 
that it needs. 



SUNDAY SCHOOL MUSIC. I43 

There are Some Schools where they seem, at 
times, to think that music was made to deaden noise 
arising from some cause or other. If, for example, 
there is a large number of late-comers who pour in 
after a prayer has been offered, during which prayer 
the doors have been closed, a hymn is given out by 
the leader to be sung while the late-comers are taking 
their places. This is very improper, for singing is as 
much devotion as prayer, and it is not fitting that it 
should be used as a cover for the noise of those who 
are late. Far, far better do nothing at all while the 
late scholars are taking their seats than try to sing down 
their clatter. 

This will make them a little ashamed that they have 
managed to be late, and at the same time will teach 
your scholars that you think enough of the devotional 
part of the musical service not to use it merely to drown 
a noise with. It exalts the musical work, and thus 
gives it a dignity that it often fails to have in the eyes 
of the school. In the school that I used to have we 
never sang while anything else was going on. " One 
thing at a time " was our rule ; and when we sang we 
did nothing else ; and when the late-comers were taking 
their seats we did nothing but quietly wait for them. 

It is Possible to make too much of singing in our 
work. Some schools so handle their music that it over- 
shadows all else in the exercises. This is a mistake. 
The central thing in every school ought to be the teach- 
ing of the lesson. All else is, or should be, subordi- 



144 WAYS OF WORKING. 

nate to this. The Word of God must be exalted in all 
our work ; and singing, and even prayer, should circle 
around the one idea, that we are here to-day for the 
reverent study of GocPs Word. 

To turn a school exercise into a kind of a sacred con- 
cert is a great mistake ; and when this kind of concert 
becomes but slightly sacred, and semi-ballads are used, 
as I have heard done, it is a profanation of the time 
devoted to the school exercises. Never let the school 
degenerate into a concert-hall, in which some listen and 
others perform. This is what many of our churches 
have done in the matter of their singing, where a quar- 
tette choir does all the singing, and sings such music 
that the congregation does not understand the words at 
all, and is as wise as if the singers had sung the hymn 
in Choctaw. 

Much quartette choir-work is a pure abomination to 
God, and a snare to the people. I say this with good 
right, for I have sung in such choirs, and have been a 
member of a boy-choir, and a leader of a mixed choir 
as well. And my witness is that there is very little real 
praise in most choirs, and much self-seeking and con- 
sequent jealousy where there ought to be real harmony 
and much praise to God. Keep the whole thing out of 
the Sunday school ; and there, at least, have the people, 
yea, ALL the people, praise the Lord, and in their 
praise let the superintendent be as helpful as possible, 
so that they may sing with the spirit, and with under- 
standing as well. Then your musical part of the ser- 
vice will be a help and not a hindrance to spiritual work. 



CHAPTER' XV. 



BENEVOLENT OFFERINGS. 



I NEVER yet was in any Sunday school where they did 
not take a collection., This idea of giving seems 
to have fastened itself firmly to all Sunday school work, 
and to form a part of it. This is good. It trains the 
children in the idea that giving is a part of worship, 
and a Christian duty, as well as privilege. The collec- 
tion is so important a matter in all our work that I shall 
take all the space at my command to enlarge on it. 

The Collection is a Very Important Part of 
the Sunday school service. When we consider the 
power of the Sunday schools of this land in a financial 
light, we are amazed. We have millions of scholars 
and about one million of teachers in our American 
schools. Suppose that each of these gave an average 
of one cent each Sunday through the year. What a 
vast sum that would amount to at the close of the year ! 
Take the scholars as numbering eight million, and the 
teachers one, and you have the stupendous sum of 

Four Millions Six Hundred and Eight Thou- 
sand Dollars. This is no small sum, as all will 
agree. It is nearly as much as the combined denomina- 

145 



I46 WAYS OF WORKING. 

tions of our land give for Home and Foreign Missions 
each year. And yet it is not all an impossible sum for 
our schools to give. It only involves the faithful giving 
of one cent a Sunday by each member of our schools. 
If now any one should say that there are many in our 
schools who could not afford to give a cent a week, we 
should be inclined to doubt the assertion. 

But even if it were so, there are many tens of thou- 
sands who could give five, ten, or even twenty-five 
cents a week, and so make up for the really poverty- 
stricken ones. But even those who are poor are rarely 
so poor that they could not give this sum, IF THEY 
WERE TAUGHT TO DO SO. We had a count 
made once of the amount taken in penny purchases of 
gum, candy, and ice-cream in seven candy stores, in a 
very poor district in New York City, each week, and 
we found that it amounted to 

One Hundred and Seventy-Five Dollars a 
Week. Near by there was a large Sunday school, and 
a short calculation showed that each of these candy 
stores took in each week a larger sum than was given at 
the Sunday school. The amounts that are spent in 
cities and towns in such small purchases are really 
astonishing, and show that, even among the poor, 
there is a good deal of spare money. But if children 
have such a large measure of that latent financial 
power, 

I Have Said Enough Now to call attention to the 



BENEVOLENT OFFERINGS. I4.7 

importance of this financial matter in our schools, and 
will go on to give a few particulars as to the methods of 
giving and the object of our contributions. First, as to 
the objects to which we should give. Some schools eat 
up all their offerings, using the money to pay for helps, 
Sunday school papers, and the like. These schools 
plead poverty, and say that they have no one to lean on 
for their support, and therefore are forced to eat up 
their own collections. This is an evil. No school 
should consume on itself all that it collects. If the 
school be really poor, it still should reserve at least a 
part of what the teachers and scholars give, to send the 
gospel to others. If the school is in connection with a 
church, let the leaders 

Call on the Church to Pay for Their Sup- 
plies. If they call loud enough and often enough, the 
result* will be that they will be heard and answered. 
Many a church fails to support its school only because 
it is ignorant that the school needs the help, and the 
duty of the church's supporting its own school has never 
been sufficiently pressed home on the members. 

Let a committee wait on the board of church officers, 
and present their cause. Let the teachers and officers 
talk the matter up in the congregation, and let their 
wants be known. Let them show a willingness to take 
their share of the burden, and make some sacrifice so 
that the school may be well supplied with all that it 
needs. In this way, in time, the church will come up 
to its duty in this matter, and the pennies and quarters 



I48 WAYS OF WORKING. 

of the scholars will be free to go to those who need 
them more than they do themselves. 

If the Church Cannot Give All That is 
Needed, let it do what it can, and then take a part of 
what the school gives to make out the rest. The bal- 
ance (which should be as large as possible) should then 
go to some worthy cause outside of the school. This 
will give the scholars something unselfish to work for, 
and that will not only stimulate them to give, but will 
prove a blessing to them, for what Jesus said is still 
true, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." It 
trains them to unselfishness, and when they grow to years 
of maturity they will have formed a habit of giving that 
will be apt to cling to them for the rest of their lives. 

Inform the School in Detail what is done with 
its gifts. If you give to the boards of your church, let 
the scholars be told (and that frequently) where those 
boards are working, and to what the money that the 
school gives is apportioned. Even the youngest scholars 
can be interested in mission work in India, if they know 
that their money goes to support a girl in some mission 
school there, and if a letter from the missionary is read 
to the school from time to time. Get some wide-awake 
returned missionary to address the school, from time to 
time, and see if it does not wonderfully stimulate the 
offerings of your scholars. Then 

Have an Annual Meeting (or better a quarterly 



BENEVOLENT OFFERINGS. I49 

meeting), in which full reports are given of trie amounts 
collected, and the way in which they have been 
expended. These meetings need not usurp the place 
of the school session (indeed, it is bad to allow them to 
do so), but can be supplementary to the school session, 
which on those days may well be shortened a little. 
The result will be intelligent giving, which is the best 
kind of giving that I know of. 

Take a Collection Every Week. — Some schools 
do this only once a month. This is better than nothing, 
but not a quarter as good as once a week. Giving once 
a week hurts no one, and it is a great deal easier to 
give a cent once a week than than to give four cents 
once a month. Let the offering be anounced each Sun- 
day of what is given that day, or, if the school is too 
large to allow of this, then let it be done the following 
week. In this way the interest of the school is kept 
alive, and if the offerings are falling off attention can 
be called to it in time. 

Do Not Let the Scholars be Treasurers in 
the classes, as it leads them into temptation, especially 
if they are allowed to keep the sums contributed for 
four weeks before they hand them in. This is a very bad 
system, and yet I have found it existing in some schools. 
I have no sort of doubt that in this stupid way a good 
deal of money is stolen. We have no right to put 
temptation in the scholar's way in such a manner. 
Let the teacher be the treasurer, and each Sunday let 



I5O WAYS OF WORKING. 

the money be passed into the hands of the general Sun- 
day-school treasurer, and let him be obliged to give 
strict account of all that he receives and expends. 
There is no reason why we should be foolish when we 
handle the Lord's money, when we are wise in the 
handling of our own. 

Print a Treasurer's Account Every Year, 
and let each member of the school have a copy. This 
will not cost much, and if you have a boy in your school 
who owns a printing press, he may be glad to do it for 
nothing. But in this way you scatter information, and 
raise interest, and the people will see that you are wide- 
awake in your school. Everybody loves wide-awake 
things, and if your school gets a reputation for being 
bright and progressive, it will help the school in many 
ways. 

Discuss This Whole Matter in the Teachers' 
Meeting. — In this way the teachers will have an 
opportunity to give expression to their thoughts and ask 
questions, so that when they adopt any of the sugges- 
tions that are made they will do it intelligently. Many a 
reform movement in our schools fails of success because 
it is sprung on the teachers before they know anything 
about the whys and wherefores of the movement. This 
is evil. As a result they fail heartily to co-operate, and 
the effort proves abortive. This in turn leads them to 
discount the next advance movement, and in time the 
school becomes so stationary that is impossible to make 



BENEVOLENT OFFERINGS. 151 

it get out of its ruts. In our own school we never made 
any advance movement unless we carried it by a large 
majority of the teachers, for we thought that we had 
better postpone such plans until we had convinced nearly 
all the teachers of its advisability. Then we went 
ahead, and were sure to make it a success. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

THE GRADED SCHOOL. 

THE Graded School is My Theme for This 
Chapter. — This theme is not one of prime 
importance for small schools, for in them the evils of a 
lack of grading are not very great. Yet even in them it 
is well to have some system in this matter. But in large 
schools the importance of right grading is very great. 

You would never think this to be the case, if you 
looked at some schools that I know of, where things are 
so managed that one might judge grading to be of no 
importance at all. In some such schools scholars are 
put into classes in a hap-hazard kind of a way, with 
results that are disastrous in the extreme. It would 
really seem that the superintendent had no system at all 
by which he governed his action in this matter. 

If a scholar brings with her a friend, and begs to 
have her put into the same class, it is done entirely irre- 
spective of any consideration as to whether the new- 
comer is fit for that class. As a result I have known 
scholars of such divergent ages as eleven and nineteen to 
be in the same class. This is a great evil, and betokens 
very careless supervision. 

Work of This Kind Hampers the Teacher. — 

152 



THE GRADED SCHOOL. 153 

How can she teach when the class is so incongruous in 
capacities? What will suit the eleven-year-old child 
will not meet the wants of the one nineteen years old. 
The result will be that, in trying to do the impossible, 
the teacher will fail, and as like as not soon resign. 
Many resignations that come to the superintendent arise 
from just such causes as this, and the superintendent 
who blames the teacher is really himself to blame for 
allowing such a state of things to exist. 

A Further Evil Result is found in the indifference 
of scholars in such a school. They know well enough 
that in the public school things are managed more sen- 
sibly, and they feel as though they did not want to 
remain where more sense is not shown. So they stay 
away, and that with at least some measure of good rea- 
son. They may not state this as the cause of their 
failure to attend, but the fact remains all the same. So 
teachers and scholars come and go, and the cause 
abides permanently, whereas, if the cause were to be 
removed, there would be much more stability among 
teachers and taught. 

But as Soon as Any One Speaks of Grading 
there will arise, in the minds of many, difficulties. Yes, 
I admit that, but if we are to stop in our work as soon 
as we encounter a difficulty we might as well give up 
all w r ork at once. One of these difficulties arises from 
the affection of scholars for a given teacher. They 
threaten to leave the school if anything is done to part 



154 WAYS OF WORKING. 

them from their teacher. Or else the difficulty arises 
on the part of the teacher, who objects to parting with 
some of her scholars. Or it may be that the scholar is 
opposed to uniting with the class to which he is assigned. 
All these are real difficulties, which lie in the path of 
the grading of a school. But they are not by any 
means insurmountable, as experience has proved. 

Again it may be claimed that this work of grading, 
and of consequent transferrals from time to time, makes 
much work, and that the superintendent has not the 
time for so many additional cares. This is no real 
objection, for the remedy is close at hand, and is found 
in the election of additional officers, so that the whole 
burden of work may not fall on the shoulders of one 
man. Surely that is easy, is it not? 

Now Look at the Reasons Why a School 
Should be Graded. — In the first place, this is the 
dictate of common sense. All admit this, up to a cer- 
tain point. For all schools are in a measure graded. 
All have, for example, the primary, and intermediate, 
and the senior grades. But here many stop, and fail 
to grade any more carefully than this. But in all our 
public schools the result of much experience is that more 
careful grading than this is an absolute necessity. 

If that is so in secular schools we may be sure that 
the same is true in Sunday schools. The scholars 
themselves will be pleased to see that methods to which 
they have become accustomed in their daily life are 
adopted in their Sunday instruction. If they find that 



THE GRADED SCHOOL. 



*55 



the Sunday school is backward in these matters they 
will secretly despise that branch of their education. 

The Testimony of All Teachers who have tried 
the graded system is to the effect that they do much 
better work, and that, too, much- more easily with 
graded than they ever did with ungraded classes. This 
ought to be sufficient to convince any one of the excel- 
lence of this method. No teacher who has ever tried 
a properly graded class will want to go back to one that 
is poorly graded. 

An Ounce of Experience is Worth a Pound 
of Theory. — So I will give in detail the experience 
of one school that I know of, in the hope that it may be 
of much value to those who desire to do better work in 
their own schools. The school in question was a large 
one. It had one primary class, a large one, many 
intermediate classes, not well graded, and a senior 
department. But the divergence of ages in the inter- 
mediate classes was great, and in the primary classes 
were many who could not read, with many that could. 
The scholars in the intermediate department dropped 
out largely before they reached the senior ranks. So 
the superintendent, after much thought, prepared a blank 
which he sent to all his teachers. It read as follows : — 

Dear Friend: I see that in your class are scholars 
ranging from to years of age. I am sure that 

you must find it difficult to teach scholars of such diverg- 



156 WAYS OF WORKING. 

ent ages. May I suggest that hereafter your class 
grade reach from, say, eleven to fourteen, or twelve to 
fifteen, or thirteen to sixteen, as the case might be? 
This will not involve your losing any of your present 
scholars, but it means that hereafter no child will be put 
into your class under eleven, and none be retained over 
fourteen. If you agree to this plan, please let me 
know, and I will grade your clasps accordingly. 
Yours very sincerely, 



This Was Given to Every Teacher in the 
School. Out of the whole number only two or three 
responded favorably. Two or three were quite indig- 
nant, and answered that they wanted their classes to 
be let alone. All the rest in no way condescended 
to respond at all. So the superintendent graded 
the classes of those who had consented to it, 
and waited patiently for some months, to let the plan 
work. 

At the end of that time he asked the teachers who 
had tried the plan to make a report in the teachers' 
meeting as to how it had worked. They all reported 
most favorably, some saying that they had never had 
such good success in teaching before. He then quietly 
said, " If any more of the teachers desire to have their 
classes graded, they may apply to me and I will be 
happy to do it for them." About half the teachers 
responded favorably, and their classes were added to 
the number of graded classes. 



THE GRADED SCHOOL. 157 

Again a Pause of About Six Months. Then 
the matter was once more alluded to in the teachers' 
meeting, and those who had tried the plan since the 
last meeting were called upon to report. Their report 
was so good that at last every single teacher in the 
school consented to try the new measure, so that the 
whole school came under the uniform regulations. 
Ever since that they have worked on the " graded 
system," and now, if any one should propose to return 
to the old method, there would be a great outcry in that 
school against such a step. 

The Result is That the Classes Are Graded 
about as follows : Two primary classes. In the one 
go all who cannot read. In the second, those who can 
read easy words when printed on the blackboard. As 
soon as they can read with facility they are transferred 
to the intermediate school, where they are put into 
such classes as their ages fit them for. In the inter- 
mediate grade, all classes are graded according to age, 
the ages stretching over three years, as, for example, 
eleven to fourteen, twelve to fifteen, thirteen to sixteen, 
etc. Of course in a large school there will be several 
classes graded from eleven to fourteen, both among the 
boys and the girls. In this way provision is made by 
which scholars of about the same intelligence can be kept 
together, and so the work of the teacher be facilitated. 

Juniors Are Those Who Are Over Sixteen 
Years of Age, and all who reach that age are gradu- 



I58 WAYS OF WORKING. 

ated into that department. Then come the seniors, 
who are from eighteen years of age onward. Now, 
this plan has some modifications which experience has 
shown to be wise. If a teacher has shown power 
enough to hold her class of, say, eleven to fourteen years 
of age for a series of years, and they are now all ready 
to go into a higher grade, instead of promoting them 
all away from her and giving her a new class, all that 
is done is to raise the age grade of her class, to thirteen 
to sixteen years, so that she keeps all her old scholars. 
Teacher and class go up together. I have seen a class 
thus go on bodily to the junior grade and then again to 
the senior department, much to the advantage of 
teacher, scholars, and school. 

But How About the Unwillingness of scholars 
and teachers to part when they must? This very 
seldom occurs, after the school once appreciates that it 
is for the best of all concerned. At the same time in 
the school to which I have referred, no scholar was ever 
transferred to a higher grade, without consultation with 
the teacher first. If there was any especial reason why 
that particular scholar should be held for awhile longer, 
it was always done. For the spiritual welfare of the 
scholar must always override any mere regulations of 
the school. But such cases are rare and can be well 
cared for as they arise. 

Such Transfers as we Have Alluded to Above 
should be made once a year. Probably the best time 



THE GRADED SCHOOL. 159 

of the year is the close. If this be not often enough it 
may be made twice a year, but to do it more frequently 
than this would not be wise. There is always some 
little necessary disturbance in the process, and it is well 
to minimize that as much as possible. Then, too, each 
transfer involves the rewriting of all the class rolls, and 
in a large school that is quite a piece of work. But 
once a year is necessary, if the school is to feel the 
best results of the system. 

Of Course Such a System Involves care in 
putting new scholars into any class. If you have a 
new applicant and she is twelve years old, you will not 
put her into a class whose age grade is nine to twelve 
for that would involve her transferral in one year at the 
furthest. It would be better to put her into a class 
whose age grade was twelve to fifteen, for this would 
allow her to remain under that one teacher for three 
years. This in itself is an advantage for teacher and 
scholar, as you will readily see. 

Under Whose Charge Ought All These Trans- 
ferrals to be? In small schools the superintendent 
may well take charge of them. But in large schools of 
four to ten hundred scholars his time will not permit 
him to do work of this kind. He ought to have the 
most competent person in his school as assistant superin- 
tendent and to him (or her) delegate this most import- 
ant duty. In many schools you have as teacher some 
public school teacher. She is just the one to do work 



l6o WAYS OF WORKING. 

of this kind. For, in the first place, she believes in 
promotions, and, in the second place, she has had expe- 
rience in work of this kind. She probably knows child 
nature better than the superintendent himself, and can 
do better than he can. The very fact that she is a 
woman will enable her to handle the lady teachers 
better than a man can do. In our school this work was 
entirely done by a lady, and it was admirably accom- 
plished. 

But Does All This Pay? So asks the conserva- 
tive superintendent. Yes, I reply, it pays well. It is 
a good deal of trouble at the first, but as soon as it is in 
working order you will find that your whole school 
feels the impulse of the forward movement. Teachers 
and scholars alike will praise the new order of things, 
and find that they can accomplish much better work 
under it, and with much less friction, than under the 
old haphazard way of doing things. All schools that 
have tried it bear the same witness, and why should 
our school be an exception? If you want "the best" 
do not shun the trouble that it costs. But, of course, 
if you are satisfied with a poorer way, all you have to 
do is to stick to your old method, and you will have it, 
and a poor school besides. 

If Now You Want to Begin and grade your own 
school remember that it is not the work of a week or a 
month. The teachers have so far been accustomed to 
the old way, and you will find it hard to make them 
accept a change. It will never do to "ordain" a 



THE GRADED SCHOOL. l6l 

change simply by virtue of your authority as superin- 
tendent. You must discuss the question with them, 
and explain how it will work, and what are the advan- 
tages that will come to them as the result of the new 
method. Even then you will find, as I did, that many 
of them will show but languid interest in the whole 
matter, while some will be sure to oppose it altogether. 
Then what shall you do? Wait patiently, and try it in 
those classes that are willing to make the experiment. 

Then After Weeks of Trial bring the matter 
up again, and let those who have made the advance 
report, and you will be sure to find that such report will 
stimulate others to make the experiment in their own 
classes. In this way, in due time, the whole school 
will fall into line, and the end will be that you will 
have a well-graded school. 

Much Importance is to be Placed on the choice 
of the right individual to carry out the details of this 
scheme. If you have (as I had) a public school teacher 
in your school, put it into her hands. She will be in 
sympathy with the movement from the start, and this is 
a good point. From the fact that she had to think of 
these matters in her own daily life, they will come 
to her more easily, and she will avoid certain points of 
needless friction. 

You will need the snaviter in modo, as well as the 
fortiter hi re, to carry your plan to a successful issue, 
and no one has this in larger measure than a wise and 



1 62 WAYS OF WORKING. 

godly public school teacher. In many schools there 
are several such workers, and the pity of it is that their 
peculiar talents are not more frequently employed on 
just such details of Sunday school management. Use 
them, therefore, and be thankful that God has given 
you such grand co-workers. 

Is it All Done Now? No, you have only made 
a good "start." Many a school has gone into the 
" grading system," only to give it up after awhile 
through pure carelessness. It must be kept up year in 
and year out. All new scholars will have to be treated 
in conformity with the plan adopted, and all transfers 
and promotions will have to follow the general plan. 
This involves, as I have said above, much work, espe- 
cially at certain times of the year. This is why I advo- 
cate the putting of this department in the hands of some 
competent person whose sole business it is. She will 
have enough to keep her busy, if the school is at all 
large. In very large schools she will have to have an 
assistant. But, by degrees, the whole thing will become 
a part of the recognized life of the school, and will pro- 
duce the good results that always come from intelligent 
and persistent work for the good of others. 

Finally, How Far Should This Grading Go, 
and how many subdivisions should be made? This will 
depend on the size of the school, and also on the 
structure of the Sunday school room. In large schools 
it may well go thus far : — 



THE GRADED SCHOOL. 163 

Primary one, for all who cannot read. 

Primary two, for all who can read easy words. 

Intermediate, for all who can read fairly well in the 
Bible, whatever their age. Of course, of such classes 
there will be quite a number in almost every school. 

Junior classes, for all over fifteen years of age. 
These should, as far as possible, sit in some part of the 
schoolroom by themselves. 

Senior classes, for all over eighteen years of age. 
These should have classrooms, if possible, but if that 
be not feasible, then they and the juniors should occupy 
some part of the room especially assigned to them. 

In some schools there could well be added a normal 
class for the training of those who intend to become 
teachers. This would have to meet by itself, and could 
do so in almost any school, by adjourning to the church, 
or lecture-room, or pastor's study, as soon as the devo- 
tional part of the service is ended. But most schools 
cannot have such a normal class, and so we have not 
said much about it in this brief article. 

Every school, however, will have to make its sub- 
divisions to suit its own peculiar wants and circum- 
stances, and my only plea here is for careful grading 
of some sort, carried out after careful study of the con- 
ditions of the school, and adhered to after it has been 
adopted* 



CHAPTER XVII. 

A POINT OF ORDER. 

AND Now, to Change my Theme, let me speak on 
a subject on which I have lately received a num- 
ber of letters, namely, the matter of getting and keeping 
order in a Sunday school. Some people think that in 
a word or two you can impart to them a specific remedy 
for disorder. This cannot be done. The matter of 
order is one of detail, like so many other things. Much 
must be made to cooperate in securing this excellency. 

In the First Place, the Superintendent must 
make up his mind that he wants and will have order. 
Unless he does this, all else will be vain. If he is satis- 
fied with disorder, he will have that, for it is not hard 
to get. It will come of itself. But if he is not content 
with the order that he has, he will seek for a better, 
and this will lead him to " make an effort." What is 
perfect order? I call that perfect order at the opening 
the school that permits you to hear a fair-sized clock at 
the other end of the room tick. Nothing else is "per- 
fect" order. Now the question is, " How can this be 
secured?" 

It Cannot be Secured Unless the Teachers are 



A POINT OF ORDER. 165 

determined that it shall be. The superintendent alone 
cannot accomplish it. He must, then, have a meeting of 
the teachers at which the question of order is discussed, 
and all resolve that they will cooperate with their leader 
in securing perfect quiet. When the teacher force has 
made up its mind that it wants better order, and will 
cooperate in securing it, half of the battle is won. Yet 
it may even now be lost, after all. For it is one thing 
to resolve to do a thing in meeting, and another to 
carry that resolve out. I have seen many a resolution 
fail in its execution. 

In Carrying Out the Resolve that you want 
better order, the first thing is to observe that resolution 
yourself. The teacher, then, who wants good order 
in his class must be early at school, so as to welcome 
the first scholar and keep him busy in some way till 
the others arrive and the school is opened. Many a 
class, being in the school some time before the teacher 
arrives, gets "going," and when the teacher comes he 
finds things already at sixes and sevens. To subdue 
this disorder (for which he himself is responsible) is 
then hard, if not impossible. Forestall the evil and it 
will not arise. 

In the Next Place, the Teacher Himself 
must set the example of order. Yet I have seen many 
teachers who, after the bell has rung, have kept on 
talking to some other teacher, "just to finish what I 
was talking about," and all the time the superintendent 



l66 WAYS OF WORKING. 

was " waiting." This is all wrong. The very moment 
that the bell sounds all conversation, selecting of 
books, and business of every kind should STOP AT 
ONCE. 

For How Can You Expect Your Class to stop 
talking if you don't set them the example? Practice 
is stronger than precept, and you will call in vain for 
order if the teachers do not respond instantly to the 
call. 

The same is true of all the officers in the school. 
The moment that bell sounds ALL business should 
cease, and each person sit down in the seat nearest to 
them, and stay there till the signal is given that again 
allows them to move. Is this rather strict? Yes; but 
without it you cannot have perfect order. The bell 
means what? It means "pay attention to the plat- 
form." If, then, you decline to do this, you are a rebel 
against order yourself, and the scholars will follow 
your example. Do you see this? 

Having Secured the Co operation of His Teach- 
ers, the superintendent must be sure that he keeps 
order himself. He must go to the platform ALL 
READY. Hymns must have been picked out before 
he went there, and all detail business must have been 
attended to. When he goes to the platform he does so 
to open the school, and he should attend to nothing 
else. Yet I have seen superintendents who selected 
their hymns and consulted with the music leader or 



A POINT OF ORDER. 167 

secretary about some matter of detail, and that even 
after they had rung the bell for order. Of course they 
never got real order, for they set an example of disorder 
themselves and the school followed it. 

In Calling for Order, whether it be by bell or by 
voice, the leader should call only once. But if the 
school does not render obedience, then what? WAIT. 
I say, WAIT. And not call again? NO. Wait till 
the school comes to order. How long should you wait? 
Till the school obeys. I myself waited once for full 
five minutes before the school obeyed. That seemed 
like five eternities. But at last it quieted down, if for 
nothing else than from curiosity to know why I did 
not begin. Then I quietly said, "We have lost five 
minutes. Let us sing hymn No. 23." The next time 
I did not have to wait for so long, and before many 
weeks passed the signal for order was heeded at once. 

I was once in a large school in New York where the 
superintendent had an electric bell with which to call 
for order. The school was allowed much liberty before 
it was called to order, so that the scholars had gotten 
into quite a gale among themselves. When he wanted 
to begin he gave a great roll on the electric bell. But 
the school paid no attention. Then he cried out, " The 
school must come to order." But they paid no heed to 
that, either. Then came the r-r-r-r-r-r of the bell 
again and renewed efforts with the voice. I counted 
how many times he rang or called. It amounted to 
EIGHTEEN times. And did he get order? Certainly 



1 68 WAYS OF WORKING. 

not, for the school had been trained, so to speak, to 
disregard his signals, and there was no more reason 
why they should pay attention to the eighteenth rather 
than to the first. 

Of Course This Means That You Must Never 
Scold in order to get order. You will never succeed 
in that way. Keep yourself in hand and be quiet and 
your influence will be felt in the school most powerfully. 
Scolding always makes the whole school feel uncom- 
fortable, and that is not the right way in which to begin 
your devotional service. Whatever you do on the plat- 
form, NEVER SCOLD. 

At times, if there is a class that does not obey orders, 
it may be needful to speak to that class. But then it 
should be done in a pleasant way. You can say, with 

a smile, "We are waiting for Miss 's class." Or, 

if it be one particular scholar who is unruly, you can 
say, " Now, Charles, please." You will find this abun- 
dantly effective, and will not have to repeat it often. 
I know this, for I have tried it. 

In a Rough School, Made up of Unruly Ele- 
ments, the worst measure that I ever was forced to 
adopt, when a given scholar would not yield to treat- 
ment such as is suggested above, I had to say, "This 
session of the school is suspended till Henry comes to 
order." Then I sat down and waited till he obeyed. 
But all this was very quietly done. And did it succeed? 



A POINT OF ORDER. 169 

Most certainly, for no scholar can bear having the 
attention of the whole school thus riveted on him. It 
will break the stoutest heart. But such drastic meas- 
ures are not often called for. I have only twice been 
forced to use them. 

All This Will be Vain, However, if, after you 
have called for order, you allow the doors to be open 
while you are trying to get quiet. Yet I have seen 
this absurd experiment tried in many schools. It never 
yet succeeded. And why? Simply because you, your- 
self, after calling for order, invited disorder by leaving 
the doors open for late-comers to enter and disturb the 
school. Whose fault is this but yours? When, then, 
you have rung your bell let the doors be closed, so 
that those who are on hand may not be disturbed by 
those who w r ant to come in late. This is a sine qua 
non of order. 

You need not keep the doors closed through all your 
devotional service. Let them be opened at proper inter- 
vals, and then while the late-comers go to their seats 
DO NOTHING, but wait quietly. When order is 
restored go on with the business of the school. 

But I Hear Some Superintendent Say, "My 
teachers would not stand such a rule as that. If they 
were not allowed to come in just as soon as they arrive 
they would resign." That may be, if you do not con- 
sult them and get their consent to such a rule before 
you try to enforce it. But if you have had such a 



170 WAYS OF WORKING. 

teachers' meeting as I suggested at the beginning of 
this article, and they have themselves agreed to the rule, 
you will not be troubled by any resignations. They 
will themselves see its reasonableness and acquiesce in 
it. Always get your teachers' intelligent consent to any 
new regulation, and they will give you no trouble ; but 
if you go ahead and, without their consent, give your 
commands, they will very likely rebel, and you will 
have your pains for your gains. 

One Thing More. Have a fixed time for the 
opening of your school, and stick to it closely. Open 
on the tick, Never mind who is there or who is not. 
Open when the minute comes. I once went into a 
school at two o'clock and asked, " At what time do you 
begin? " The secretary replied, "About half past two." 
It proved, as I had expected from his answer, that they 
actually opened at 2.45, and even then very few of the 
scholars were on hand. They were being trained in 
that school to be on hand about half past two, and that 
meant about a quarter to three. 

Of course, there was no order in that school, because 
there was none about the superintendent. What else 
could you expect? He trained the school not to punctu- 
ality, but to aboutness. And he succeeded. 

Now, if Any Superintendent will heed the rules 
given above, he will succeed in getting and in keeping 
order in his school. It may take some time, especially 
if his predecessor has been slack in these matters, but 



A POINT OF ORDER. 171 

it will come in time, and both he, and the teachers, and 
the scholars as well will rejoice much in the result. It 
is a mistake to think that scholars enjoy a disorderly 
school. They do not. They rather despise it, for it 
compares unfavorably with what is expected from them 
in their own public school. They much prefer order, 
and the results that you can achieve in the line of 
teaching are, of course, far in advance of any that you 
can reach in any other way. Try it, and you will bear 
this same witness. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

PREMIUMS AND REWARDS. 

AT Every Sunday-School Convention, when 
there is a question-box, some one asks whether it 
is right to offer rewards in Sunday schools. And if 
the reply is in the affirmative, the question is asked 
whether in this way we do not bribe the children to do 
what they ought to do without such motives. 

Now, in all this question of rewards let us at once 
get rid of this objectionable term of " bribery," for, 
since the purpose of offering rewards is to secure com- 
mendable action, it cannot by any stretch of language 
be rightly called "bribery." We can only bribe a 
person to do a wrong action, never a right one. So 
let this term be laid on the shelf as totally inapplicable 
to this whole matter. 

Yet , Even Then, you will find some people who 
will contend that by rewarding a child for doing that 
which it is his duty to do you are arousing base 
motives, and in this way are really doing more harm 
than good. They say, "The child ought to learn his 
lessons and behave, without any such inducements." 
This we at once admit. But children ought to do 
many things without any motive other than that of con- 



PREMIUMS AND REWARDS. 1 73 

science, which, nevertheless, they do not do. If we 
never put inducements before children, other than those 
of stern duty, they will find life much harder than they 
now do, and we shall find them much more difficult to 
manage than they now are. 

But, as a Matter of Fact, while conventions 
discuss this question, the majority of schools do give 
rewards in some form or other. Some confine them to 
Christmas gifts. To say that these gifts are not in- 
tended as rewards is not at all to the point, for, what- 
ever the teachers intend, the children universally take 
them as rewards, and, for this purpose, about Christ- 
mas-time we see large numbers of children crowding 
into our large mission schools. 

Some schools offer premiums for the bringing in of 
new scholars, others for the learning of lessons, others 
for deportment, or for punctuality, or, lastly, for 
written examination work done by the scholars. But, 
whatever be the particular method adopted, it remains 
true that in a large majority of Sunday schools rewards 
are made use of in one way or another. 

Now, in All Our Work, if we can find out on 
what principles God works, and follow his example, we 
shall not be far out of the way. In the Bible we find 
that God recognizes the principle of rewards and pun- 
ishments from beginning to end. And not only in 
grace, but in nature as well, he gives to him that does 
well, and recognizes his efforts by an appropriate prize. 



174 WAYS OF WORKING. 

This is what constitutes the stimulus that the man of 
science feels, as he delves among the secrets of nature. 
This, too, is what the believer feels as he bears the 
burdens of life, and realizes that one day God, who is 
not slow to remember his labor of love, will reward 
him. Even our blessed Master himself was obedient, 
he having regard unto the recompense of the reward. 
And our blessed Lord was, in some measure, influenced 
by this same desire for reward, for of him we read : 
" Who, for the joy that was set before him, endured 
the cross, despising the shame " (Heb. 12 : 2). 

But in All This Matter of Divine Prize Giv- 
ing, note the principle on which God works. He does 
not give his best gifts to ONE person, leaving all the 
rest to go without any prize, or, at the best, with a 
second and third prize. This is the way in which many 
schools act, and, as a consequence, do more harm than 
good. This is the way in which the writer began in his 
own school. But it is not God's way. God sets up a 
reasonable standard, and then all who attain that 
standard receive the same recognition. This, then, is 
the true principle on which to work in the matter of 
Sunday-school rewards. Place your standard, and 
make it one that is reasonable. Then give to any 
scholar who attains that standard the same prize. 

This Will Not Prevent your having as many 
grades of excellence as you think best, as, for example, 
for the Primary, the Intermediate, and the Senior De- 



PREMIUMS AND REWARDS. 175 

partments of the school. But it will involve the giving 
of a similar reward to all who attain to any given 
standard. It will also at once prevent that jealousy 
that so often arises when a single prize is offered, and 
one of two scholars, of nearly equal ability, carries it 
off, and leaves the other with very inadequate recogni- 
tion of his efforts. I have seen more harm than good 
arise from such a procedure, followed by a refusal even 
to try again the next year. 

Even Under These Safeguards we shall find 
that some wrong is unintentionally done at times. Nor 
can we ever exactly suit the reward to the merit of the 
scholar, as God does in his government of this world. 
For one scholar of dull apprehension may, in reality, 
deserve a larger reward for the same results than 
another of quick wits. But this should not prevent us 
from trying, so far as possible, to approximate to God's 
way of rewarding our scholars. All things human are 
imperfect, but still we strive to reach as great a degree 
of perfection as we can, and do not on that account 
give up the attempt. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

ENTERTAINMENTS . 

THE Sunday School is a Complex Organiza- 
tion. — In order to have a perfect school, there 
are many details which have to be regulated and wisely 
cared for. Not only do we aim to reach the scholars' 
souls so that they may become followers of the Lord 
Jesus, but we also try to educate their minds so that 
they may have a competent understanding of the word 
of God, and of all that bears upon it. But our scholars 
have other instincts besides these, and Sunday-school 
workers have long recognized that there is a legitimate 
effort in their work for entertainments. 

In This Chapter, Therefore, I shall speak about 
various kinds of Sunday-school entertainments which 
are in vogue, some of them helpful, and some not. 
With regard to this matter, it is perfectly possible to 
make use of a certain class of entertainments in a way 
to help the work of the school. It is also possible to 
use the same thing in such way as shall hinder, and not 
help. 

Experience is our best guide along these lines. By 
experience I do not mean our own experience only, but 
the experience of other workers who have tried experi- 

176 



ENTERTAINMENTS. 1 77 

ments, and have tested their character. He is truly- 
wise who learns from others and profits by their mis- 
takes, for in that way he prevents himself from doing 
many things which are unfitting. He who must learn 
everything by his own bitter experience pays dear for 
his education. 

Nearly Every Sunday School in the Land has 
some kind of Christmas entertainment. Many of these 
are exceedingly helpful. At the same time, I am 
obliged to say that many of them have more of " tom- 
foolery " than of spirituality about them. I speak here 
from somewhat wide experience, having learned much 
by bitter mistakes which I myself have made. There 
are, I suppose, many hundreds of Sunday schools who 
have " Santa Claus " appear at their anniversary. 

Generally there is a good deal of buffoonery concern- 
ing his advent. He comes out clad in grotesque cos- 
tume, gets off many jokes and foolish remarks. The 
thoughts of the children are entirely drawn away from 
the Christ-child to this semi-heathen individual. At a 
time when we should be thinking of God's love as mani- 
fested in the birth of the babe at Bethlehem our atten- 
tion is entirely taken ud with things foreign to this 
blessed event. 

There are Many Evils Connected with Such 
an Abuse at Christmastide. Among other things is 
the fact that we in some measure deceive the younger 
children, to whom everything is " real." A little child, 



I78 WAYS OF WORKING. 

lying on its deathbed, who had thus been deceived in 
various ways, and then, as the years went by, unde- 
ceived, asked its mother the question, "Mother, is 
Jesus real?" What business have we, as Sunday- 
school workers, thus to represent things in such light 
that our little ones are deceived ? 

It Seems to Me That on Christmas Day 
nothing should be presented to the school but what per- 
tains strictly to this anniversary. There is enough 
about the life of our Lord Jesus, from the cradle to the 
grave, to keep the attention of our scholars most help- 
fully. For example, Christmas exercises might be 
gotten up with responsive readings from the account in 
Matthew and Luke. These, interspersed with appropri- 
ate hymns, and followed by one or two pertinent and 
brief addresses, will be quite sufficient to entertain and 
instruct the school. If, in addition to this, the Christ- 
mas tree be decorated and presents be distributed, the 
scholars will be contented and happy. 

In Some Schools They Prepare Very Elabo- 
rate Dialogues, which are delivered in costume. 
Now, I do not deny that these are attractive, but I very 
much fear they are not profitable. Oftentimes they 
have no reference at all to the event which gathers 
the school together, and then they are certainly 
more than worthless. All that comes onto the platform 
at this season should bear directly on the event which 
took place in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago. 



entertainments. 179 

One of the Evils of These Elaborate Enter- 
tainments is found in the fact that they demand much 
time in preparatory rehearsals. I have known schools 
whose regular session was practically taken up for 
weeks before Christmas with the music, the declama- 
tions, the dialogues that were to be presented on that 
night. During these weeks but little attention is paid to 
the lesson, and this in itself is a great evil. 

Moreover, Jealousies and Unseemly Rival- 
ries are Awakened. — Scholars who receive promi- 
nent parts are proud, others angry ; thus a spirit is 
cherished entirely alien from that which should be 
cultivated at this season of the year. 

In a Great Many Sunday Schools the Sunday- 
school concert occupies a very prominent place in the 
activities of the scholars. Some have them every 
month, and the time generally is Sunday evening. 
These Sunday-school concerts may be made an occa- 
sion of very great advantage, not to the school only, 
but to all its friends. The various publishing houses 
have spent much time and given much thought to the 
preparation of the printed programs for such entertain- 
ments. 

Here, too, however, we must guard ourselves against 
the theatrical and the exaggerated. Simplicity is to 
be sought, for in simplicity there is very great power. 
The theme around which the concert circles should be 
a scriptural one, and every effort should be made to 



l8o WAYS OF WORKING. 

leave a strong religious impression on all who have 
been present. City Sunday schools make but little use 
of these Sunday school concert exercises, but it is not 
for them alone I write, and, therefore, I try in some 
measure to meet the wants of all engaged in Sunday 
school work. 

Every Sunday School That Is Well Conducted 
makes use of "sociables." There is no way in which we 
can get as well acquainted with each other as we can on 
these festive occasions. In large Sunday schools, it 
often happens the teachers hardly know each other. 
They come from different homes, from different parts 
of the city, and excepting at the Sunday school and 
church services, many of them never meet face to face. 
This is an evil which can be, in some measure, at least, 
remedied by these sociables. 

In Such Socials As These, care should be taken 
that the younger element does not run into too much 
frivolity. Give the young people latitude, but see that 
their liberty does not run into license. Throughout all 
these sociables there should run an earnest Christian 
spirit, such as it behooves those to cultivate who are 
working for their scholars' eternal welfare. Piety is 
perfectly consonant with cheerfulness, but piety and 
folly never went well together. There is a laughter 
which is whole-souled and wholesome, and there is a 
laughter like that of fools, which is like " the crack- 
ling of thorns under a pot." 



ENTERTAINMENTS . 1 8 1 

If Once In a Quarter, Say, the teachers come 
together, and, after short devotional services, have some 
slight refreshment, and then give over the rest of the 
evening to social intercourse, they will find the influence 
extremely helpful in their work. The timid teacher 
will find strength in the added acquaintance which 
comes to him at these times. A sense of sympathy is 
aroused, and the teachers feel that they are part of one 
little army which is banded together to fight for the wel- 
fare of their scholars. 

The teachers here will exchange their experiences 
and many a discouraged one will pluck up heart again 
as she finds she is not alone in her trials and burdens. 
It is sometimes well to have some outsiders present to 
make an address to the teachers on a theme germane to 
their work. New light is thrown on the work in this 
way, and fresh information gathered, which redounds 
to the welfare of the school. 

In Addition to Teachers' Sociables, it is well 
sometimes to have sociables with the scholars. In very 
large schools it is impossible to have the whole school 
together at these times. A sociable for a thousand 
scholars, for instance, would be an impossibility. In 
such cases it may be well for teachers of two or three 
classes to combine, and using the church parlors, have 
an entertainment for their scholars. In all large schools 
there are single Bible classes of thirty to fifty members, 
and these may well have sociables by themselves. If 
the class be a young men's Bible class, each member 



l82 WAYS OF WORKING. 

may be allowed to invite one lady friend. In nearly all 
such cases, the expense of the sociable can be borne by 
the class itself. In the case of the younger classes, 
other provisions will have to be made. 

If There Be No Church Parlors that can be 
used for this purpose, it may be that teachers will invite 
scholars to their own homes. Indeed, a social under 
your own roof has something more of hospitality in it 
than one held in church parlors, be they ever so finely 
decorated. 

In Small Schools, However, of one hundred to 
one hundred and fifty members, it may be well once in 
awhile to hold a sociable for the whole school. Then, 
doubtless, the lecture room of the church would be the 
proper place to use. For an entertainment like this, it 
is generally necessary to appoint an " Entertainment 
Committee." A kindly watch will have to be kept over 
this committee, lest they, too, adopt games, dialogues, 
or charades which are not helpful. There will be no 
difficulty, however, in this matter, providing the over- 
sight be kindly and sympathetic, as well as judicious. 

This Brings up the Matter of Friction, which 
often arises between the older and younger members of 
a school. The older teachers are apt to be conservative, 
perhaps too much so. The younger are sure to be 
radical. When opinions differ as to the character ci 
any entertainment, discord arises and there is apt to be 



ENTERTAINMENTS. 183 

trouble. Let the older ones remember that they, too, 
were once young. A sanctified use of memory to 
recall how you felt when you were eighteen or twenty 
years old will help matters very much. Let the dis- 
cussion concerning this disputed question be kindly and 
gentle. 

Results will thus be reached that will be in some meas- 
ure satisfactory to all. If angry words and vituperation 
be indulged in, more harm will be done than can be 
remedied by a half year of earnest work. What Satan 
most loves is to see a Sunday school fighting with itself. 

Parent's Sociables are Often Very Helpful. — 

This is especially true in those Sunday schools which 
reach the working classes in great cities. Parents who 
never come to church and who never see the inside of a 
Sunday school will come to an entertainment given in 
their honor. Here they are brought face to face with the 
workers ; they realize the kindly sympathy which exists 
for them and their children. Their prejudices are 
allayed, and their affection and interest awakened. 
Many a parent has thus been brought into the house of 
God for the first time who has come and come again, 
until at last divine truth has savingly laid hold of the 
heart. We must be all things to all men, so long as 
we do nothing sinful, and attract them by every means 
in our power to that place where hallowed influences 
predominate. 

Of Course in all this the financial question will 



184 WAYS OF WORKING. 

soon come to the front. Some Sunday schools have an 
abundance of money, and this question never troubles 
them. Others find themselves exactly in the opposite 
position. It is impossible to say what is the best means 
for raising money in all schools. Sometimes the church 
officers may be willing to give something from the 
treasury of the church. At other times the teachers 
take up a collection among themselves to defray neces- 
sary expenses. However this may be, it is not necessary 
to spend large sums of money for these entertainments. 
Ice-cream and cake, or lemonade and cake, or (in 
season) strawberries and cream are sufficient for the 
purpose in view. It is not so much what we eat at the 
time as it is the general spirit with which we welcome 
our guests that wins their hearts. 

Most Sunday Schools in the City aim to have a 
picnic at least once in the year. Sometime a barge is 
hired for an excursion on the nearest lake or river. At 
other times a railroad train is chartered, which conveys 
the Sunday school to the appointed grove. The matters 
of detail are such as must be settled by each school in 
accordance with its surroundings. 

The main point is to get the children as completely 
as possible into the country. As there are large ex- 
penses connected with some of these picnics, the 
financial problem again comes to the front. To meet 
the necessary outlay, a great many schools sell tickets 
to any who are willing to buy. This is an evil. Our 
own experience is that, unless the sale of tickets be 



ENTERTAINMENTS. 185 

carefully restricted, parties are sure to purchase them 
who make very undesirable associates. 

The further result will be that rude conduct annoys 
and disturbs the quieter element of the Sunday school. 
Tickets should be sold only to the members of the Sun- 
day school and church, and to their immediate friends, 
so that all find themselves in the midst of congenial, 
social companions. 

If Competitive Games are Arranged for, they 
should be in charge of a committee, who should wisely 
regulate the admission of those who are to take part. 
I have known delicate girls in the city, who have stood 
behind a counter for six days in a week, and have never 
taken much exercise, to be seriously injured by entering 
for a half-mile race. These girls did not understand 
the strain on the physical system involved in such 
running. 

The result is that they were totally exhausted and 
suffered for days the consequences of their rashness. I 
have known young men from the city, whose occupa- 
tions have been indoors, to be sunstruck through their 
carelessness in exposing themselves to a July sun. 
Care should be taken, therefore, in all these matters, 
that the outing of the picnic be a real help, and not a 
serious hindrance to those under our charge. 

The Matter of Dancing at these Picnics is 
almost always sure to come up. If care be not taken, 
it will be the cause of bitter feelings and needless strife. 



l86 WAYS OF WORKING. 

I do not know how others feel in this matter, but it 
seems to me there are amusements enough open to our 
young people, without their engaging in promiscuous 
dancing. We have never found it necessary in our 
school to yield to this pressure, which generally comes 
from the most worldly portion of the scholars. We 
have always been rather strict in the amount of liberty 
which we gave to the scholars. 

Great is Common Sense, sanctified by Christian 
experience, in all this matter of Sunday school enter- 
tainments, and it must be steadfastly applied. The 
leaders should be truly leaders, and not allow them- 
selves to be carried away by the blatant voices of those 
who are crying for greater liberty. 

If Our Hearts are in True Sympathy with the 
young, they will quickly enough understand our motives, 
and if we ever err on the side of over-strictness, they 
will be willing to forgive, because they realize that we 
are working for their advantage. If our aim is truly 
religious in all we do, it will show itself, whether in the 
teaching of the lesson, the Christmas entertainment, the 
sociable, or picnic. In all these things, we must make 
it clear that we are seeking first the kingdom of God. 
If this be so all else will go well. 



CHAPTER XX. 



THE LIBRARY. 



THE Library is a Valuable Adjunct to every 
Sunday school. Not every family has the means 
to procure a sufficient supply of reading matter for 
its members. Books are soon read through, and to 
keep an active boy or girl in reading matter, year in 
and year out, is no easy thing. Then, not all who have 
the means have the desire to meet the legitimate wants 
of the young people, or, if they have the desire, they 
have not always the requisite discretion to furnish good 
books. As a result, our young people often get hold of 
books that do far more harm than good. 

From This State of Affairs the Sunday school 
library has had its origin. The aim has been to supply 
healthful reading matter to the scholars, and thus supple- 
ment the teaching of the lesson. At first only books of 
a distinctly religious character were admitted to the 
libraries of our schools. The thought was to provide 
" Sunday reading," so as to make the Sabbath day not 
only a delight, but profitable as well. I remember 
the time when books like " The Life of Henry Martyn " 
and " The Memoirs of Nathan Dickerman" formed the 
main part of a proper Sunday school library. How 

187 



l88 WAYS OF WORKING. 

much the children read these books it is not possible to 
say, but if I may judge from my own experience, they 
were not very eagerly devoured. 

In Time, However, the demand for more interest- 
ing reading brought the supply, and we began to be 
flooded with the " religious novel." At once the cry 
was raised that we were cultivating in the scholars a 
taste for " novels," and that in this way more harm was 
being done than good. The quality of this literature 
was also impugned, and we heard that the Sunday 
school literature was "goody-goody" and filled with 
" wish-wash." 

That there were unwholesome books published by 
some firms is undoubtedly true, but a careful examina- 
tion of the current Sunday school books will convince 
any candid person that, on the whole, the charge has 
but little foundation on which to rest. In the main, the 
books issued by the denominational houses are good of 
their kind and of a good kind. Their influence is 
wholesome, and far better than that of much that is 
published by the ordinary secular business house. 

Of Course Sunday School Libraries had not 
long been in existence before the question arose, " What 
kind of books ought to go into a Sunda}^ school 
library ? " There are those who would totally exclude 
the " religious novel" and all secular works and stick 
to those of a purely religious character. They claimed 
that the province of the Sunday school was only to 



THE LIBRARY. 189 

furnish Sunday reading, and that it had no business to 
give out secular books on the Lord's Day. On the 
other hand, there were not lacking those who felt that 
the " religious novel" had a legitimate place among the 
books of a Sunday school, provided the moral that it 
taught was pure and wholesome, and that it was far 
better that the scholars should read books of that class 
than those that they would naturally get elsewhere. 

Of Course, in a Question of This Nature, it 
was " many men of many minds," and there was much 
diversity of opinion. Critics sometimes failed to recog- 
nize that what might be good for a " church school," in 
which the scholars had an abundance of reading matter 
in their own homes, would not be sufficient for a 
" mission school," in which the scholars had almost no 
reading matter in their own homes. They did not seem 
to realize that the difference between the Sunday school 
of the " Old South Church" and a mission in the North 
End was world wide, and that what would suit one 
would be only ridiculous for the other. 

In this way many grievous mistakes were made. I 
remember well looking into a mission library at one 
time to see why the books were never taken out. The 
first volume that I took from the shelves was " Charnock 
on the Divine Attributes," and the second was " Edwards 
on the Will." Then I understood why the scholars 
never called for any books, I doubt whether a class 
made up of Presbyterian elders would have found much 
use for a library of that kind. 



19° WAYS OF WORKING. 

If, Now, Any One Expects Me to lay down a 
rule by which this much discussed question shall be 
settled, they will find themselves mistaken. Within the 
limits of a chapter like this, such a thing is not possible. 
One thing only I will say, and that is this : I feel that 
it is a mistake to confine the selection of books to those 
of a purely religious character. 

Good secular books should also be admitted, espe- 
cially in those schools where the home does not furnish 
the pupil with reading matter. Then some distinction 
should be made between books that are recommended 
for Sunday reading and those that are intended for 
week-day perusal. This is not a difficult thing to do. In 
this way all the wants of the scholars can be well met. 

Every Good Library should have a good catalogue. 
This is a sine qua non. The question of the cost often 
prevents smaller schools from having this requisite. 
But there is often in the church a boy who has a small 
printer's outfit, who for the love of the cause will print 
a small catalogue, covering a library of one or two hun- 
dred volumes. If you are not fortunate enough to have 
such a boy, you should nevertheless aim to secure the 
needful funds and prepare such a catalogue, for without 
it the scholars will not know what books there are on 
your shelves. Such catalogue should be arranged by 
topics, such as "History," "Biography," "Travel," 
" Missions," " Fiction," etc. 

There Are Plenty of Good Sunday School 



THE LIBRARY. 



I 9 I 



Books ; and if you only are ready to spend the time 
and thought, you can procure them for your library. 
Let me, then, give some simple rules, and promise that if 
you will rigidly adhere to them the result will be a good 
library. 

1. Do not buy more than ten, or, at the most, twenty, 
books at a time. This will effectually prevent the pass- 
ing of books by wholesale. There will thus be time 
for the proper persons to read and approve or reject 
intelligently. For this have 

2. A Permanent Library Committee. — Five are 
enough. Choose this committee carefully. Have some 
mothers on it. An older sister will do no harm. Let 
this committee watch the Sunday school papers and 
gain what help from their reviews they can. 

3. Have a Per munent Library Fund. — Five dollars 
a month is enough to provide any school with sixty 
volumes a year. Where shall this five dollars be raised 
from ? From the church, if possible. If that is not 
possible, then by private subscription. Ten people who 
give fifty cents a month will do it. To get ten such 
people will cost work, you say. Well, what if it does ? 
You can never have any good thing without work. 

4. Duplicate Very Popular Books. — This will 
enable the scholars to get the book they want without 
having their patience exhausted before their turn comes. 
After the rage of novelty is over, keep only one copy 
on hand. 

5. Always Replace Standard Books. — Your scholars 
change rapidly. A book like " Irish Amy," or " Silver 



I92 WAYS OF WORKING. 

Rifle," or " Giant Killer " ought always to be in a good 
library. 

6. Have a Graded Catalogue. — Do not give young 
and ignorant scholars a chance to get books that are not 
suited to their intellectual capacity. Now, of course, 
all this means care and work. But the result will be 
such that you will find that your library is a real help to 
you in all your work with your scholars. A poor library 
is worse than none, for it only serves to irritate, and so 
does harm. But a good set of books on your shelves 
will draw many a scholar to your school and help to 
keep him there. And is not that one of the things that 
we are all aiming at ? 



CHAPTER XXI. 

THE LIBRARIAN. 

JN my last chapter I gave some suggestions with 
regard to the matter of the library. If a good 
library were all that is needed in this department of 
Sunday school work, I might pause here and say noth- 
ing more. But a good library will not run itself. If 
placed in the hands of a poor librarian, those who 
"know" will get much good from it. But those who 
are ignorant of books will get but little good from its 
use. It is better to have a rather poor library and a 
good librarian than a good library and a poor librarian. 

Yet Many Schools act as though the matter of 
librarian were one of little consequence. Some young 
man or woman is chosen whose qualifications may be 
very inadequate, for "it is only the library." The 
result often is that the library is badly served and the 
school gets but little out of it. Such schools seem to 
think that the whole duty of the librarian begins and 
ends with the giving out and receiving of the books, 
and, since that is a task that does not call for any par- 
ticular talent, any one can do it. Such a " haphazard " 
selection of this important officer is sure to be followed 
by " haphazard" results. 



194 WAYS OF WORKING. 

What Are Some of the Qualifications of a 
good librarian? They are not difficult to enumerate. 

(a) The librarian must love books. To put into this 
office a young and careless boy or a giddy girl is to do 
much damage. There is a great difference in this 
respect among people. Some young men take naturally 
to books and really love them. Others care but little 
for them, and read only those books that are popular 
and highly spiced. But how can a man serve others 
well in the library unless he loves his work specifically? 
He will work in a perfunctory manner, and might as 
well be replaced by a machine if such an one could be 
invented for the work. 

(b) He must love -people. There are men who love 
books, but not people. Such are bookworms. But 
they make wretched librarians. They feel bored by 
people who come and ask foolish questions or make 
trouble by their indecision in the matter of choosing 
books. No such person is a good one to put in charge 
of the library. He who takes that office should love all 
classes and conditions of men, so that he can be helpful 
to those who are ignorant and out of the way. 

He must be anxious to help the most illiterate, so 
that all such may look to him for help and guidance in 
the matter of choosing books. The love of good books 
and the love of people will result in the librarian's try- 
ing to introduce the one to the other in the most attrac- 
tive way. This will, of course, increase the circulation 
of the library, and make it a power for good in the 
Sunday school to which it is attached. 



THE LIBRARIAN. I95 

(e) He must have an exalted idea of the work to 
which he is called. If he thinks that the library is one 
of the subordinate places in the whole round of Sunday 
school work he will not do good service there. If, on 
the other hand, he feels that the work that can be 
accomplished by a good book is second to that of no 
other instrumentality he will enter upon his work with 
some enthusiasm, and will exalt his calling. He will 
feel that if he is instrumental in getting a boy to read 
a good book the influence of that book may govern that 
boy's career in all future years. 

Of course, if the librarian has such ideals as this he 
will strive to get all the boys and girls to read that, and 
that only, which can have a wholesome influence on 
their lives. In this way he will be a power for good 
every day in the week. 

These are Three of the Chief characteristics 
of a good librarian. Of course he will have other 
excellencies, such as promptitude, a kindly courtesy, 
indefatigable industry, spotless neatness, and the like. 
If, however, he have the first three graces spoken of, it 
is most likely that he will also have the others, for he 
who has the higher virtues is not probably without the 
lower. 

Such a Librarian as We Have Suggested 
Above will find out what the people want. If books 
that he has on his shelves, placed there by his predeces- 
sors, do not " go," he will try and find out the reason. 



I96 WAYS OF WORKING. 

He will probably discover that they are not suited to 
the wants of those to whom the library is supposed to 
minister. 

Now, instead of finding fault with the people, he will 
find fault with the books, and make up his mind that 
they are not suited to the needs of the community in 
which the school is placed. He will realize that there 
is no more use in finding fault with people for not taking 
books that they do not like than in finding fault with a 
horse for not drinking when he is not thirsty. Neither 
will scolding help in the one case more than in the 
other. 

How Can the Librarian Find Out what the 
people want? By asking. He can prepare blanks, 
and ask the people to write on these the names of such 
books as they would like to have placed in the library. 
Now, as soon as such a suggestion is made, I fancy 
that I hear some one exclaim, "Oh, that would never 
do, for they would ask for bad books ! " 

First, how do you know that? And, second, if they 
should, you are not obliged to put them on the shelves 
simply because they have been asked for. But, third, 
you will not find that this is the case. People will ask 
for such books as they want, and, as a rule, you will 
find that they are good books, and will do less harm 
than some, perhaps, that are now on your shelves. 

Supposing That, as a Result of the issue of such 
blanks as are suggested above, the people return a list 



THE LIBRARIAN. 



I 9 7 



of books that petrifies the librarian. That he finds that 
many of the standard works of biography and of mis- 
sions are not so much as mentioned. 

Suppose that the most of the applications for new 
books show that religious fiction is all the people care 
for. What then? Shall he give up in despair, and 
make up his mind that the people are hopelessly wedded 
to light literature? Not by any means. He has still 
large scope for usefulness. He can by slow degrees 
train the people to like better books. As they come to 
his office and ask for books he can talk with them and 
make many a good suggestion as to books of which 
perhaps they have never heard. 

One the most important qualifications of the good 
librarian is the ability to direct the reading of those who 
come to him from week to week. As soon as they find 
out that he knows his business they will begin to look 
to him for guidance. They will ask of themselves 
what he has that is interesting. This will be a great 
gain, both to him in his work and to the school in its 
reading. 

The Fact is That, Just Like a Good Sales- 
man, who has good wares, and then finds a market for 
them, so a good librarian first sees to it that he has what 
the people want, and then makes the people take that 
which he has to offer. Yet how many of the ycung 
men or women who stand at the window of the library 
have any such conception of the scope of their duty? 
All that they think they have to do is to take books off 



I98 WAYS OF WORKING. 

from the shelves, deliver them to the scholars, and 
again receive them and deposit them on the shelves 
once more. The difference between that kind of a 
librarian and the kind that I have indicated is world- 
wide. 

But the Librarian Can do More Than This. — 
He can watch the growth of the younger scholars in the 
school, and when he finds that they will bear some 
heavier reading can suggest what they had better take. 
It is true that many children stop drawing books when 
they have gotten through the " juvenile "period, simply 
because they do not know what else to call for, and are 
not told of what stores of rich material there is in the 
library for older minds. 

For such scholars the librarian should be on the look- 
out, and prove that he loves them by forestalling their 
wants and ministering to them wisely. In this way 
they can be led up step by step, till they are able to 
select books for themselves. All their future lives may 
thus be influenced by a wise supervision exercised by 
the " man behind the window." Is this a small thing 
to do? Nay, we know of no more important work in 
all the school. 

If, Now, Some Librarian into whose hands this 
falls says, " All this is very well, but I have not the 
time or opportunity to speak at length to the scholars," 
we reply, " You will be quite surprised to find how 
much time you have for this, if you only use what you 



THE LIBRARIAN. I99 

have. As for opportunity, you can make opportunity 
at times other than those when you are at work on Sun- 
day." If there is a will there is a way, here as else- 
where. 

As an Aid in getting information before the school, 
the librarian may well make use of a bulletin board. 
On this he can post the new books that are purchased 
from time to time. Or he can recommend through it 
such books as are appropriate to the lessons for the day, 
for which teachers will be very grateful. 

If the lesson is on temperance, he can call attention 
to such temperance literature as he has on his shelves. 
Or, if it be a missionary lesson, he can post the names of 
the best missionary books that there are in the library. 
In this way marry a book can be gotten into circulation 
w r hich otherwise would lie idle. Remember, it is not 
only the number of books that you have, but the fre- 
quency of their issue that constitutes a good library. 
Of what use are unread books? Better ten good ones 
read than a hundred that are never opened. 

One Way in Which the librarian can extend the 
usefulness of his work is by frequent conference with 
his pastor. Most probably the minister is the best 
informed person as to the new books that come out. 
At all events, he probably knows more than the young 
librarian who has just been appointed to the office. 
Suppose that the minister proposes to preach a series of 
sermons on Bible heroes. The librarian could help 



200 WAYS OF WORKING. 

considerably if he knew this and commended such 
books as bore on the general theme of his pastor. 
Working together thus, they both could accomplish 
more than if they worked alone. Could they not? 

Of Course a Good Librarian will somehow get 
book reviews. Such may be had in every good religious 
newspaper. But if the librarian have not the means to 
subscribe for a number of such papers, he can by 
inquiry find out what papers are taken .by members of 
the congregation. They will be only too glad to let 
him have them, when they have read them, and then he 
can see what is being published that is new and helpful. 

In this way he will keep himself well informed, and 
will really become an authority on the subject of Sun- 
day school books. Then, when the time comes to select 
new books, people will turn to him with confidence. 
One reason why the Sunday school library is so little 
thought of is just because the librarian is so incom- 
petent, and the people are taught to think little of the 
possibilities of his department. He himself is often to 
blame for this. 

The Grace of Continuity is a good one for the 
librarian to cultivate. Many a librarian begins well, 
and makes a great " spurt." Then he stops and thinks 
that all is going on well. Better work slowly but 
steadily than nervously and fitfully. It is the old story 
of the race of the hare and tortoise. The hare ran like 
fury for awhile, and far outran the tortoise. But then 



THE LIBRARIAN. 201 

he lay down for a little rest and fell asleep. Meantime 
the tortoise kept steadily on, and presently passed the 
sleeping hare, and in the end came out ahead. 

In all Sunday school work I prefer the deliberate man 
who keeps at it (only let him not be TOO deliberate). 
" Hold-on is the horse that is to win," is a good saying. 

I Know of No Good Reason why the library 
should be open only on Sunday. This is indeed the 
rule, but is it a good one? Many scholars read the 
book that they drew long before the week is out. Why, 
then, should they be obliged to wait till Sunday before 
they can draw again? Besides, there are always some 
who are necessarily detained from coming to the school 
each week, and if the library is open on a week-day 
evening they can avail themselves of its advantages. 

Why should not the library be open on the evening of 
the mid-week prayer-meeting? It could not possibly 
do any one any harm, and would do much good. It 
would draw some to come out to the meeting, for the 
sake of getting a book, who otherwise would stay at 
home. The librarian could be on hand half an hour 
before the meeting opened and close at the hour of 
service. It would, of course, involve some sacrifice on 
his part, but for what was he elected to that office if not 
in order that he might be a help to all who want books? 

In Large Mission Schools it is becoming more 
and more the practice to have the library open every 
day in the week. Of course, such libraries have many 



202 WAYS OF WORKING. 

secular books, and the librarian must be a paid official. 
But the good results from such a practice are so many 
and great that no one who has tried it will return to the 
old method of opening the library for one hour on one 
day of the week. The books do ten times more work 
on this plan than they do on the old, and that is what 
we should strive for. 

In a Small Sunday School the machinery for 
distributing and receiving the books may be very simple. 
But in a school of four to six hundred members you 
must have a good system. Otherwise you will have 
disorder, and will of necessity lose many books. What 
is known as the " Eggleston System" is the best that I 
have seen for a library of not over two thousand volumes. 
This system requires the following paraphernalia, but is 
very simple and easily managed. 

Have Grooves Sawed in the Shelves, above and 
below, opposite to each other. In these fit strips of tin, 
in this way giving to each book a compartment by itself. 
Of course, these compartments will have to be made to 
fit the books. Then fit the books into their compart- 
ments, and number each book on the back, and each com- 
partment to match the book. Have another set of shelves 
arranged in compartments in the same way, with this 
difference, that the compartments here must all be large 
enough to take any book in the library. These compart- 
ments must be as many as the number of scholars who 
draw books. Number them from one upward. 



THE LIBRARIAN. 203 

To Each Scholar is Issued a card about six inches 
by three. On the top of this card is printed a number, 
by which that scholar is to be known, and the name of 
the scholar and address is written in. The rest of the 
card is divided into squares, in which the scholar writes 
the numbers of the books that he desires, in the order 
in which he wants them. As the particular book that 
he most desires may not be in, he keeps several numbers 
on his card, and the librarian gives him that number 
which is in. 

This card the scholar takes home with him always. 
Another card is prepared for each scholar, having on it 
a printed number corresponding with the number on 
that scholar's personal card and the scholar's name, and 
the rest of the card marked with the months of the year, 
and against each month the numbers i, 2, 3, 4, 5, cor- 
responding with the possible five Sundays in each 
month. This is the librarian's card, and never leaves 
the library. All these latter cards are kept in a long 
box, in regular numerical order, so as to be easily found 
when wanted. 

Suppose, Now, That the First Named Cards 
have been issued to the school. Mary Brown wants a 
book, and brings her card, and presents it at the window 
of the library. The librarian takes it, and goes to his 
box in which his other cards are, and picks out the one 
which has a number corresponding to the number on 
Mary's card. Then he goes to his shelves, and takes 
out the book for which Mary has called. In the place 



204 WAYS OF WORKING. 

of this book he inserts the card which remains in the 
library, having first marked off on it the Sunday on 
which Mary has called for the book. 

That shelf is now without a book, but has a card in 
it showing that Mary Brown has that book. Mary's 
card is then inserted in the book, and the book put into 
the vacant compartment that has Mary's number on it. 
When, then, Mary comes to the window to get her 
book, all that she has to do is to call her number. The 
librarian goes at once to that shelf, takes out her book, 
and hands it to her. In this way he can work with 
great rapidity and exactitude. 

On This Plan, which we used for many years in 
my school with great success, each compartment of 
each shelf of the library must have in it always either a 
book or a card, and the card will show who has that 
book out and the date on which it was drawn. This is 
a great advantage, as any one will easily see, and 
enables the librarian to trace his books with great 
accuracy and rapidity. 

For Libraries of more than two thousand volumes 
this system will hardly do. But there are so few Sun- 
day school libraries of more than that number of books 
that it is hardly worth the while to take them into 
account. If yours is one of them, then the best way for 
you to do is to learn how great libraries like those of 
our cities are managed, and govern your own on the 
same principles. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

THE PRIMARY CLASS. 
BY MRS. S. W. CLARK. 

IN Discussing the Needs of the primary depart- 
ment, the first thing we will speak of is the room. 
The primary class needs a good room. Not a corner 
of the cellar, where it is dark, nor a room in the garret, 
where the little ones have to climb long flights of steps 
to reach it, nor the gallery of the church, where the 
children have to sit in the pews on high seats and wiggle 
until school is out. 

In Every Church where there are children enough, 
and these small enough to form a primary class, there 
ought to be a separate room where the primary teacher 
can be alone with her class, where they can sing when 
they please and not disturb the other school, and where 
the other school will not disturb them. 

Rooms that are divided only by glass doors from the 
large school are also objectionable. The teacher is 
constantly hindered in her work by being told not to 

Note. In this chapter I deal with the primary class, and I have asked Mrs. S. W. 
Clark, of New Jersey, a most successful primary teacher, to write the " Hints " which fol- 
low. She writes out of the fulness of personal work, and I can most heartily recommend 
all that she says as being thoroughly practical. 

205 



206 WAYS OF WORKING. 

sing just then, or please not to recite quite so loud, 
because they disturb the other school. How can a 
teacher do her best under such circumstances ? 

If Your Church Has a Very Large primary 
department, say two or three hundred, then the church 
ought to have for their use two or three separate rooms, 
the department being divided into three classes of three 
grades. 

Having a room, we must endeavor to the best of our 
ability to make it attractive. Let the floor be level, 
have it covered with a carpet if you can get it, or a 
hemp matting. I know this article will reach many 
teachers who cannot get a new carpet or anything new. 
Then let the children help make a carpet. They will 
all be glad to bring something old from home that can 
be cut up into strips, and how delighted the children 
will be to sew carpet rags to make a carpet for their 
own schoolroom. Let them have a little sewing circle 
for this purpose. Some may think it strange to suggest 
a rag carpet for a Sunday school floor, but, dear teacher, 
anything is better than the noise of moving feet, and 
when the floor is bare the children cannot help making 
a noise. 

Let the Walls of the Room be adorned with 
mottoes, pictures, texts of different colored paper. It is 
a good idea to keep one part of the wall for a lesson 
picture gallery. I mean by this, as you go through the 
quarter's work, cut each picture out of your picture leaf 



THE PRIMARY CLASS. 207 

cluster, and fasten them on the wall in the order of the 
lessons. The little ones will be delighted to see them 
there. They will be constantly studying them, and it 
will aid very much in your review work. By using 
these pictures in this way, the picture gallery will be 
constantly changing. The leaf cluster can be bought 
for $1.00 a quarter from any Sunday school publishing 
house. In your windows have plants and flowers, and 
try in every way to make the room attractive and beauti- 
ful. Then the children will love to come to the Sun- 
day school. 

The Seating of the Schoolroom is a very 
important matter. If it is at all possible, have chairs of 
graded heights. Some teachers prefer low settees. 
The greatest objection to these is that the children will 
crowd each other. If you have chairs, each child has 
his own seat. If you are where you cannot have small 
chairs or settees, and have to use the high seats of the 
synagogue, I think the best plan is to cut them down, 
and make them low enough for the children. If some 
of the saints have to sit low in the prayer meeting, it 
may do them good, and perhaps make them willing to 
put their hands in their pockets and supply the wants of 
the little ones. 

Let There be Plenty of God's beautiful sunlight 
and plenty of fresh air. I have been in many a room 
crowded wdth children where the air was perfectly 
stifling and every one of the windows shut tight, And 



208 WAYS OF WORKING. 

if you try to open one, they stick as if they had not been 
opened for years. Many times the teacher wonders 
what is the matter that the children are so restless. She 
cannot keep their attention. She does not know 
whether the trouble is with the children or herself, 
when, in fact, it is neither. It is the want of fresh air. 
Now let the teacher open the windows for about two 
minutes.. Let the children stand up, and keep them 
busy with a brisk calisthenic exercise. The little ones 
will not take cold if they are kept moving. Then close 
the windows and have the children say (with motions) 
one verse of 

We'll all rise up together, 

We'll all sit down together. 
We'll mind the rule of Sabbath school 

And all sit still together. 

By this time the little ones will be refreshed, the 
teacher will be herself again, and the exercises of the 
school can go on. If the teacher will pay proper 
attention to the ventilation, the room need never become 
overheated ; let the windows be down from the top, 
enough to keep the room quite cool, until schooltime. 
When the children come in from the cold air they do 
not feel that the room is cold. In all the windows have 
a board six inches wide placed under the lower sash 
and shut the sash down on it ; this will let in a current 
of fresh air all the time. In this way the air in the 
room can be kept pure and fresh, and the children will 
not be exposed to a draught. 



t 

THE PRIMARY CLASS. 209 

Have a Raised Platform about seven inches, and 
on it a table with a drawer in it, in which the teacher 
can keep her small supplies ; also a closet for storing 
papers, pictures, and rolls. A piano or an organ is 
almost indispensable. A primary class without music 
is a very dull, unattractive place. To those schools 
that have no piano, and cannot afford to get a large 
organ, I would say, you can get a " Mason and Ham- 
lin" baby organ for $22.50. 

Don't Call the Roll. — This method of keeping 
the attendance is still used in many schools, and it is a 
very bad one. I have been in many schools and have 
ached to take the roll book out of the teacher's hand, 
and tell her to go on with the work of the class. This 
is what I have heard : 

"John?" " Present." 

"Mary?" "Present." 

"James?" " Present." 

"Jane? Jane? Where is Jane? Who knows any- 
thing about Jane ? " 

" Please, ma'am, she is not here." 

" What is the matter?" 

" She had to stay home to tend the baby." 

" Well, let us go on. Lucy ? " " Here." 

"Joseph?" 

" Please, ma'am, he is sick." 

Just in this style the roll of about seventy-five scholars 
was called. I thought to myself: "Oh, how much 
precious time is being wasted here ! " 



2IO WAYS OF WORKING. 

Just as much, and sometimes more, precious time is 
wasted in hearing the children- say texts or verses. 
The teacher goes from one child to another, asking : 
" Do you know your text? " 

"No, ma'am." 

" Do you?" 

" Yes, ma'am." 

" Can you say it?" 

" Yes, ma'am." 

" Let me hear it." 

Then the child stammers through it, with the teacher's 
help, and so the teacher goes through the class. You 
may judge how much time there is left for all the rest 
of the work. 

Now Let Me Tell You of a better way. Give 
to each child, every three months, a small envelope 
with his register number on each. Have the child bring 
one each Sunday, and give it to a teacher as he passes 
into the room. The pennies are to be put into these 
envelopes before the child comes to school. 

If any one forgets his envelope the teacher knows it, 
and takes down his name or number, and in this wav 
keeps a correct roll. There are many plans that can 
be used that save time. Some use a numbered quarterly 
card that has thirteen coupons attached to it, and the 
child brings one each Sunday. Then some use cards 
that have the whole twelve months on them, and the 
child brings this card every Sunday, and, as he passes 
the door, the teacher punches out the date, so marking 



THE PRIMARY CLASS. 211 

him present. Any method that a teacher can invent 
for her own use that will serve the purpose and save the 
time will do. 

To Secure the Memorizing of the golden texts, 
give to each child a card, on which is the golden text. 
Do not give the text for the next lesson, but give the 
text of the lesson they have just learned about. They 
will be more likely to learn it, because it is about some- 
thing they have heard. When they enter the school, 
let them pass on to a second teacher, whose duty it is 
to hear the texts, and if the child knows the text, the 
teacher punches the card. This punch says that the 
lesson was perfect. 

Every twelve golden text cards -punched should entitle 
the child to a picture card, and for a whole year's texts 
learned (allowing one text out for each quarter) the 
child should be entitled to a Bible, or, if it has a Bible, 
some book suited to the child's capacity. All this work 
I have just suggested is to be done before the child takes 
his seat in the schoolroom. 

The Next Question is, What are we teachers to 
do who have to be in the church building with all the 
rest of the school ? I know it is very hard to do any 
work under such circumstances. Let me make a few 
suggestions. 

The first and most necessary thing to do is to shield 
the class and yourself from the gaze of the school. 
This can be done in this way. Ask the superintendent 



212 WAYS OF WORKING. 

to let you have one corner of the back of the church. 
Then have a stout pole about seven feet long and fasten 
it securely against the back of one of the pews, at the 
end next the aisle. Then stretch a stout wire from one 
wall to the post, and from there to the other wall. 
Now get something for a curtain ; dark red or dark 
brown canton flannel is the best. Sew rings along the 
top of this, and slip them on the wire before it is fastened 
to the walls. 

This makes a nice little room for the class. A cur- 
tain made in this way can be pushed back to each wall 
for all the first services of the school, and when you 
want the class for the lesson just draw the curtains from 
the walls to the post, and fasten them with safety pins. 

Some People Are Born to Rule. — They have 
the power of governing within themselves. The people 
they meet and work with feel it. It is fortunate for the 
school that has a teacher that has this power to govern ; 
whose look, word, or motion will bring silence. If a 
teacher cannot keep order in her school, much of her 
teaching falls to the ground. 

The children are quick to see, and can tell by the 
look of the teacher's face and the tone of her voice if 
she expects to be obeyed. The law of obedience is the 
foundation of the order of the school. A look, a motion 
of the head or hand is all that a teacher ought to need 
to have perfect attention and obedience. Order is not 
obtained by noise, or banging a bell, but by silence. 
When the time comes for the opening of the school, let 



THE PRIMARY CLASS. 



213 



the teachers stand in silence before the class for a few 
seconds. The little ones will soon learn that teacher 
expects them to be quiet, too, and you will be surprised 
to see how soon a school that has been accustomed to 
any control at all will become perfectly quiet. 

I Know a Teacher who never needed to use a bell 
or speak a loud word, but when she stood before the 
class with her book of responsive exercises in her hand 
the school would become perfectly quiet, and when they 
could hear the clock tick the teacher would begin in a 
low, quiet voice to repeat the responsive services, and 
in the same sweet, reverent tones the school would con- 
tinue. 

The teacher's rule in the school must be loving, 
gentle, and quiet, but at the same time it must be firm. 
The teacher must be obeyed. She will have to learn 
by experience what to do with that bad boy or that 
unruly girl. The method one teacher can use another 
cannot use. The treatment that will do with one child 
will not do with another. You must learn what will do 
for you in your school by experience. 

There is One Thing that I think will work well in 
all primary classes. That is a hospital. You say, 
what do you mean? It is a corner of the room, as far 
from the other children as you can arrange it, where 
the children that have sick hands, or sick feet, or bad 
tempers, or noisy tongues are sent to be cared for until 
they are better. Boys and girls all go to the same hos- 



214 WAYS OF WORKING. 

pital. This class is under the care of one teacher whose 
business it is to see that they are kept perfectly quiet. 
They are not allowed to take part with the school in 
any of the exercises. They are not taught anything. 
They have to stay in this class until they are cured. 
Sometimes a child will stand it two Sundays, but seldom 
more, and they do not want to go back to it very soon. 

Devotional Exercises. — How shall I begin to 
talk to you about this? I have seen many things, in 
so many different schools, that have the name of devo- 
tional exercises that to me were far from being 
devotional. I sat in a church once, waiting to see the 
working of the school. In a few minutes a door at the 
other side of the room opened, and in marched a long 
line of little children, who took their seats on some high 
chairs in front of the superintendent's desk, and those 
that could not crowd onto the chairs sat on the cushion 
at the altar rail. There they sat while the superinten- 
dent and older boys and girls went through with all 
their opening exercises. Not one tune was sung that 
the little ones knew. The prayer was far above their 
understanding. How sorry I felt for them. How sorry 
I was for that worried, anxious teacher. It was twenty 
minutes wasted. 

Now Let Me Tell You what that class might 
have done with that twenty minutes. First, singing 
something sweet and devotional that all the children 
know. Then a short responsive service, then a silent 



THE PRIMARY CLASS. 



215 



prayer. (How helpful these silent times are. How 
they impress on the mind of the child the solemnity of 
their own service.) 

Then the teacher leads the school in prayer, a simple, 
childlike prayer, such as a child must be taught to pray. 
Now, with folded hands and bowed heads, the children 
repeat each sentence after the teacher ; then, all 
together, teachers and scholars say some prayer verses 
they all know. Now they sing again. Then they say 
the golden text for that day, all together ; then they 
review the golden texts, not more than four Sundays 
back. Then they have a short exercise in the books of 
the Bible, or anything else that the school is learning. 

See how much work you could have accomplished in 
that lost twenty minutes. But you say, what can we do 
about it? How can we change it? t Labor with the 
superintendent. Show him, if you can, how much 
better it will be for the class, how much more work can 
be done, if you could have all the time to yourself. 

Don't Ride a Hobby in your school. Above all, 
don't make the singing a hobby. Too much singing is 
as bad as too little. I think the practice of showing off 
the school is a very bad one. 

Let me tell you what I heard in one school. After 
the first singing and prayer, the teacher says, " Now we 
will have a solo from Mary." 

Then, "I wonder if the choir can sing us some- 
thing." 

" Now we will have a duet by Annie and Willie." 



2\6 WAYS OF WORKING 

" Here is a very little boy that can give us all the 
texts for the quarter. That is fine ; it is worth five 
cents." 

Here the teacher pays the child for saying his part. 
Then we had half a dozen other things before the lesson 
was touched. This was an actual fact. This sort of 
thing is very objectionable. Do not make shows of 
your schools. 

Never Ask the Children what they want to sing. 
Such a question as that will bring half the school to its 
feet, and as many hands waving in the air, and if you 
let them choose there will be so many different things 
asked for that you will finally have to select something 
yourself. The teacher herself must have all this 
decided before she comes to school. 

Always arrange your own program, selecting just 
what you will sing. Make two lists of this selection, 
and give one to the organist and keep one yourself. 
Let it be not only what you will sing, but everything 
else you wish to do in that one hour and a half. You 
will find that a properly arranged program will save 
you much time. 

The Teacher Finds a great deal of difficulty in 
carrying out her plans if she has not the proper helpers. 
There must always be some one in the school that can 
sing. If the teacher cannot lead in the singing, then 
one of the assistants must be selected for that purpose. 
This qualification is more important than the ability to 



THE PRIMARY CLASS. 217 

play; the school can sing without a piano, but it cannot 
sing without a voice to lead them. But it is very much 
better if some one can play also. 

Don't let the children shout. Teach them to sing 
sweetly. Let them feel that there is worship in the 
singing, as well as in prayers. A verse now and then 
sung softly has a very quieting effect on the school. 

Motion songs are a pleasant change and restful to the 
children. They make a nice variety in the school ; 
also recitations with motions. The impression of some 
of them on the mind of the child is good and helpful. 
What school is there that does not say with reverence : — 

Two little eyes to look to God, 
Two little ears to hear his word, 
Two little feet to walk in his way, 
Two hands to work for him all day. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

PRIMARY CLASS WORK. CONTINUED. 

BY MRS. S. W. CLARK. 

THE Teacher's Tools are many, but the one that 
can be made the most helpful is the blackboard. 
She can do more and better work with this than with 
anything else. Oh, how completely she holds the eyes 
of her little ones when she stands before the class with 
the chalk in her hand. How wide open are all the little 
eye-gates, and while the teacher holds the eye-gates she 
has the ear-gates, too, for while they are looking they 
are listening. 

In Talking to Teachers about their work, and 
recommending to them the use of the board, the answer 
five times out of ten will be: " Oh, I can't use the 
blackboard.'" If the teacher could only understand the 
power there is in a blackboard and a piece of chalk, 
she would never say I can't ; rather, she would say / 
will use the blackboard, and if I don't know how, I will 
learn. Dear teacher, you can use the blackboard if you 
will only try, and where there is a will there is always a 
way. I know many of you have a limited amount of 
means, and you say I can't get a blackboard. If you 

2l 8 



PRIMARY CLASS WORK. 219 

cannot get an expensive one, let me tell you now to 
make one that will be better than any one that you can 
buy. 

Get the carpenter to make you a plain board, nicely 
joined, about three by four and a half feet, or larger, if 
you wish it ; cover this first with four or five layers of 
newspaper ; be sure that the edges exactly meet, and 
have the paper quite smooth and just the size of the 
board. Over this put two layers of cheap, unbleached 
muslin ; tack each layer separately, drawing each very 
tight. Over this put a piece of blackboard cloth ; draw it 
tight and tack it, turning it over the edge, and tacking 
it on the ends of the board. Then put a narrow beading 
all around the edges of the board. 

This is called a padded board, and is far better to 
write on than any other. The board can be covered on 
both sides, if you wish it. If you cover one side, the 
board can be fastened to the wall, and if you wish a 
second surface to work on, get a second piece of black- 
board cloth, fasten it to a Hartshorn window-shade 
roller, and have this fastened to the top of your board. 
It can be drawn up and down the same as a window 
shade. The blackboard cloth, 36 inches wide, costs 
$1.25 a linear yard; 48 inches wide, $1.60 a linear 
yard. 

Before you mark on a new board at all it must be 
primed in this way. Take whole pieces of chalk, and 
rub the board all over until it is perfectly white, then 
rub it well in with the hand, then with a piece of soft 
cloth rub it off. Now with a clean cloth rub it as clean 



220 WAYS OF WORKING. 

as you can get it. This treatment of the board leaves 
the surface a little gray, but the writing will be much 
more easily erased. Never clean the chalk off a board 
with a wet cloth. Many a board has been ruined by 
such treatment. If your board gets so bad that you think 
you must wash it, take a soft cloth and clean water (no 
soap) and wash a small portion of the board at a time 
(about one quarter of it), then rub it dry immediately 
with a dry towel. Let the board stand about an hour 
before writing on it again. You must not write on a 
board while it is at all damp. 

How to Use the Board. — How many times I 
have been asked that question, and how can I make you 
understand by telling you that which I feel I ought to 
show you? When I talk of this matter to teachers the 
general excuse is : "I am not an artist. I can't draw." 
If you are not an artist, I am glad of it. We do not 
want beautiful blackboarding. The simpler the work 
the better. 

Many a little one goes home, and says : " I can make 
what teacher made on the board to-day." A little boy 
went home from school a few Sundays ago, saying : 
" I can make the lesson we had to-day," and he took 
his slate and pencil, and sat down by mother, and said : 
"See, mother, this is the sea; I can make it; and 
Jesus got into a boat right here, and this mark was for 
Jesus, and he went over here this way, and the people 
went this way. They wanted to hear what Jesus said, 
and they stayed all day. See, mamma, this is the little 



PRIMARY CLASS WORK. 



221 



boy that had the basket of lunch, and here is the basket. 
This cross was Jesus, and these little straight marks 
were the disciples. O mamma, there were lots and lots 
of people there, and they got awful hungry, and there 
were only five loaves. See, here they are, and this is 
the way that teacher made the fish, but there were only 
two of them." 

" And was there enough, dear? " asked mamma. 




1 'Yes, mamma; Jesus made it enough, and only 
think, mamma, a little boy helped." 

And after a few minutes' quiet thought, he said : 
"Mamma, I am going to help Jesus, too. Jesus says 
he likes little boys to help." 

Oh, these sweet lessons, how they draw the children 
to Christ. The little sketch above is the lesson as 
remembered by the child. 



222 



WAYS OF WORKING. 




Who will say I can't use the blackboard when such 
simple work will do so much good? A few straight 
lines, a dot, a dash, a few crooked lines can represent 
anything you wish. The child's imagination will see 
whatever you wish the marks and lines to represent. 
A short mark is a man, a few tall crooked marks is a 
tree, a few lines across the board is a road, a lot of 
little marks is a crowd of people. 

In teaching the lesson of the widow's son being raised, 
these few lines make the story very clear to the child. 
How much they add to the teacher's word picture. 
Eyes and ears are both held while you fill the little 
heart with the sweet story of Jesus' loving sympathy. 

The gateway in the wall of the city of Nain. The 
funeral procession going out to bury the dead. 

There is not a lesson that is selected for our teaching 



PRIMARY CLASS WORK. 2 23 

in which we cannot use the board in teaching it, if not 
in picture, then in words. 

But You Say the Children Can't Read. — 
Then we must put the work on the board in such a way 
that they will understand what it means if they cannot 
read it. For names make initial letters with bright- 
colored crayons. For long words make long dashes of 
different colors, only writing out such short words as 
can be read. Always print out in full JESUS, GOD, 
LOVE. These have to be used so often that the chil- 
dren will soon learn them. A heart, a cross, a crown 
are little word pictures, and can be used in many of our 
lessons. If you wish to put some of the work on the 
board before the time for the lesson, always cover it 
with black tissue paper, and have it so arranged that you 
can uncover just what you want to show next. If the 
children see all the blackboard work at once before you 
have taught the lesson, they soon lose interest, and you 
lose their attention. I would advise the teacher, as far 
as you possibly can, to use the chalk while you talk. 
Let the children see you do the work. Let them count 
or speak the letters as you print them ; this keeps them 
busy. 

Maps. — It is better for the teacher of the primary 
class to make her own maps. If she has not blackboard 
room enough to spare for this purpose, get a piece of 
manilla paper, and with colored chalks make an outline 
map, and make the different mountains, rivers, cities, 



224 WAYS OF WORKING. 

and journeys as she comes to them in the lesson. This 
can easily be replaced with a new piece of paper for 
any other course of lessons. The teacher will find 
objects and pictures very helpful in gaining the atten- 
tion of the class, but be sure and put the object out of 
sight after it has served its purpose. By so doing the 
child's attention will be turned from the object to the 
lesson itself. 

How to Teach the Words of our hymns is a 
question that is often asked and puzzles many teachers. 
The custom of repeating the words of a song, line by 
line, and having the class repeat it after you, is the only 
method that many teachers know of, and is not a good 
way. There are many better methods. Some write 
the words on the board and help the children to read 
from the board. Some write them on manilla paper, 
and hang it on the wall, and sing from it until they 
know the words. 

The best plan that I know of is to print the words on 
paper and give them to the child to be learned at home. 
On the same paper print a little note to mother, asking 
her to see that the little ones learn the verses before the 
next Sunday. In the same note invite her to come and 
see the school. I know a teacher who uses this method, 
and the children are always ready with the words when 
she wants to teach the music. The very fact of the 
mother teaching the words to her little child creates an 
interest in the heart of the mother and will often bring 
her to see the school. The Simplex Printer can be 



PRIMARY CLASS WORK. 225 

used for this work, is very reasonable in price, and 
does good work. 

The Preparation of the Lesson. — I am sorry 
to have to reveal to you a secret which I have discovered 
by coming in contact with many teachers. It is this. 
Many teachers do not prepare. Not long ago I was in a 
school of about one hundred scholars where the teacher 
evidently knew nothing about the lesson, only the hints 
she got from the picture of the leaf cluster. All she 
seemed to have to say was that those wicked men were 
going to push Jesus off those rocks, and was it not a 
shame, and would they do such a thing? She had made 
no preparation, and so she had little or nothing to say. 

Many Times when I have asked the question (even 
as late as Thursday in the week), Where is the lesson? 
or, What is it about? comparatively few could answer 
either question. Too many teachers do not realize the 
need of this preparation. Some do not even look at 
the lesson until Saturday or even Sunday morning. 
How can they expect to teach? They can tell just 
what they read, but can they teach anything? Teach- 
ing implies much knowledge on the part of the teacher. 
How can you teach God's word if you do not know it? 
How can you know it if you do not study it? 

Look Ahead. — See where the lessons are, what they 
are about, what the text is. Get a general idea of the 
lesson plan for the month or quarter. This will help you 
in planning your lesson work ; you will have some idea 



226 WAYS OF WORKING. 

of what you can use, and so be able to pick up illustra- 
tions, pictures, objects for future use. 

Begin the preparation of your lesson on Sunday, 
after you are rested a little from the fatigue of the after- 
noon's work, while your mind is still active and busy 
with the last lesson. Take up the Bible and read the 
next lesson, thus connecting another car to the train of 
lessons. Read carefully, slowly, two or three times. 
Read the verses before and after the selected lesson. 
Now let it rest ; you are too tired to do any more now, 
but the seed is sown, and the lesson will grow as the 
days go by. Water this little seed with much prayer, 
and see how soon the lesson will spring up. 

To Help this Growth we must study the lesson 
surroundings. The places and people of the lesson, 
the manners and customs of the people, the teachings 
of the lesson. As you go about your every-day duties, 
keep your eyes open for illustrations, things you hear 
and see in the street, objects or pictures you may see, 
anything and everything that will help to illustrate. 
Do not be satisfied with just a little study and think that 
that will do for a child. The little ones seem to know 
by instinct whether you really know the lesson or not. 
Find out everything you can about the lesson, fill your 
heart full ; then when you come before your class you 
will not lack for words. While you are doing this 
studying one of the thoughts must be, How can I pre- 
sent this to the little ones so that they will understand 
it? Here the blackboard will be your best help. 



PRIMARY CLASS WORK. 



227 



The Assistant Teacher has many and varied 
duties in the school. She ought to be punctual and 
regular in her attendance. Each assistant ought to have 
her own appointed duty and her own place in the school- 
room. Some have the duties at the door to attend to ; 
others have to see that the children are seated right and 
have their outer garments removed, and to keep the 
little ones reasonably quiet. Perfect quiet is not needed 
until the opening of the school. The assistant must 
have her own place among the children while the lesson 
is being taught. If she has to move about or speak to 
a child, do it just as quietly as possible. Some assist- 
ants make more noise than the children do, trying to 
keep order. 

There ought to be no occasion for the assistant to 
move or speak during the lesson time ; the teacher's 
teaching power ought to hold her class in order. I 
know a teacher whose assistants never moved or spoke 
to the children while she was teaching the lesson. If 
the little ones became restless, she just stopped and was 
silent a minute. This soon brought all eyes to her, and 
then she continued the lesson. It is the duty of the 
assistants to see that the children are ready to go home, 
to be at the door with the papers and cards. Let this 
be attended to at the door, not all over the room. The 
teacher herself wants her time here to speak to mothers 
and visitors. 

These Visitors Are Sometimes a great trouble to 
the teacher. She wishes with all her heart that they 



2 28 WAYS OF WORKING. 

would not come to her room. She does not like to teach 
before them. Some teachers stop their work and go to 
singing when any one comes in. This is very bad, 
both for herself and the school. She must learn to be 
brave and go on with the lesson. Let one of the assist- 
ants seat visitors at the back of the room where the 
children will not see them. Never invite a visitor to 
the platform, or give them seats in front of the school. 
A visitor's gallery is a very nice thing if you can have 
it ; if not, have reserved seats at the back of the room 
for parents and visitors. Do not invite visitors generally 
to speak to the school. If the pastor or superintendent 
comes in, let them sit at the back of the room until the 
lesson is over, then invite them to speak to the school. 
The children ought to see and know them, and they 
ought to know the children. A word or two from the 
pastor is always helpful and pleasant. 

Review, Review, Review. — This is the only way 
to really fasten your teaching. Go over the work at the 
close of the lesson. Begin the next lesson with a review 
of the last. Do not tell them, but make them tell you 
what the last lesson was. The words on the board, 
the picture, the text, the teachings of the lesson. If 
the children cannot tell you anything about the lesson, 
you may be sure you have not taught them anything. 
If they cannot give back to you that which you have 
tried to give to them, then they have not really learned 
anything. This is the only way the teacher can test 
her work. In asking the questions in a review, do not 



PRIMARY CLASS WORK. 229 

ask them in such a way that the answers can be just 
yes and no, ma'am. Help the children to think and 
find the answer in their own minds. Review plans are 
a very necessary help. 

On the second side of the board, or on a piece of 
paper, have some design in which to put some part of 
each lesson. A window with twelve panes of glass, 
one pane for each lesson. A ladder with twelve rounds. 
A book with twelve leaves, turning one each Sunday. 
This can be made of paper. Any design that will serve 
the purpose will do. But I say again, review. 

Which is the Best, subdivided or undivided 
classes? Which of these is best depends largely on the 
size of the school and the qualification and ability of the 
teacher to hold the class. Some teachers can hold a 
hundred scholars without any trouble ; others find it is 
all they can do to hold thirty, or forty, or even twenty. 
The material you have to work with must decide what 
you will do with the school. Very large schools, say 
one hundred and fifty to three hundred scholars, will do 
better work as divided schools. Have one teacher for 
every ten scholars, a circle of chairs and a little stand 
for each class. The subdivided school ought to be 
graded. Children up to five years in the lower grade, 
up to seven in the second, to nine in the advanced 
grade. This will be the graduating class and must be 
prepared for entering the other school. 

The Requirements for promotion are : The Lord's 



23O WAYS OF WORKING. 

Prayer, Ten Commandments, Twenty-third Psalm, 
Beatitudes, and the Books of the Bible. In this grade 
the children must be taught how to handle the Bible ; 
that is, how to find the different books, chapters, and 
verses quickly. The duties in the other grades are : 
to keep the roll, collect the pennies, hear the texts, and 
to teach them where they are not known, teach the 
words of the new hymns, or any other exercises that the 
superintendent wants to put into the school. Keep 
order while the superintendent is teaching the lesson, 
distribute papers and cards in your own class at the 
close of the school. In the divided school there ought 
to be a receiving class, in which all new scholars are 
placed until they can be assigned to a regular class. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



THE HOME DEPARTMENT. 



OF Late Years there has sprung up a new depart- 
ment of Sunday-school activity, called the Home 
Department. This has met a long-felt want on the part 
of the Sunday-school workers, and its success in various 
States has been quite phenomenal. For example, at the 
New York State Convention, held in Saratoga in 1895, 
it was shown that in one tenth of all the Sunday schools 
in this State there are now organized home class de- 
partments. 810 were reported as organized at that date, 
with 27,400 students, 4,500 classes, and 4,500 visitors. 
Massachusetts and Connecticut each have about 5,000 
members in their different departments ; New Jersey, 
about 10,000; Ohio, 5,000; Indiana, 5,000. These 
figures are quite enough to show that this new depart- 
ure is meeting with very gratifying success. 

Some one May Ask What is the Need of this new 
phase of Sunday-school activity? To this we reply 
that there are multitudes of adults who, for various rea- 
sons, are really not able to attend the Sunday school. 
Some are detained by family cares ; others, by feeble 
health ; and still others, because of the great distance 
from their homes to the school. There are still others 

231 



232 WAYS OF WORKING. 

who are so much " on the road" that they are debarred 
from attendance in the school of their own church. It 
was to meet the needs of these that the Home Depart- 
ment was organized. 

In Order That Our Readers may clearly under- 
stand the ground covered by the home work, we give 
the following two definitions as laid down by W. A. 
Duncan, Ph. D., president of the New York State Sun- 
day-School Executive Committee. 

First. A Home Class is made up of one or more per- 
sons, pledged to study the Sunday-school lesson at 
home, in connection with some Sunday school, at least 
half an hour each week. 

Second. A Home Department is made up of all the 
Home Classes formed in connection with any Sunday 
school, and is a recognized branch of the school under 
a superintendent regularly appointed, and having a 
corps of visitors, whose duty it is to visit the members 
of the Home Classes at stated intervals, for the purpose 
of distributing the requisite lesson literature, receiving 
the class report cards, and the Home Class offerings. 
It is their duty to stimulate the interest in Bible study, 
and bring the members into closer membership with the 
school and church. 

If It be Desired to organize such a department in 
any school, the following is the method usually adopted. 
The teachers of the home school, after due considera- 
tion of the matter, pass a vote to organize a Home De- 



THE HOME DEPARTMENT. 233 

partment. They then appoint either a superintendent, 
or perhaps better, a small committee, into whose hands 
the new work is committed. This committee should 
then make a careful canvass. First, of the families in 
which church members are found. These should be 
visited, and the scheme explained to them clearly and 
patiently. They should then be asked whether they 
would not join the Home Department of the mother 
school. Sometimes it is well to make two visits on any 
prospective member of this department. In this case 
the first visit would be devoted to an explanation of the 
plan used. The second visit would have as its aim the 
active enlistment of the individual or individuals in 
the home, and the distribution of the first instalment of 
Home Department lessons. 

The Next Step Would be to canvass the families of 
those who are church attendants, in which, however, 
there are no church members. Here the same steps 
are to be taken which have proved successful in the 
first group of families. The committee may feel quite 
sure that they will in all cases receive a cordial wel- 
come, provided they go with a spirit of love in their 
hearts. 

As a Specimen of the Home membership card, we 
give the following, which has been copyrighted by 
W. A. Wilde & Co. 



234 



WAYS OF WORKING. 



Certificate o\ Membership in 

THE HOME DEPARTMENT. 



This CERTiriCZTTE is issued to 



who, having promised to study the regular Sunday-school lesson at least half an hour 
each week unless prevented by some good cause, 

IS HEREBY ADMITTED TO MEMBERSHIP IN THE HOME DEPARTMENT OF THE 

. Sunday School 

of 

and is, while the membership continues, entitled to the use of the library and to all social 
and other privileges enjoyed by other members of the school. 



SUPERINTENDENT. 



Date 

COPYRIGHT, 1897, BY W. A. WILDE & CO. 



SUPT. OF HOME DEPARTMENT. 



Home Class Report Card. 

In the blank space for the day, record your study of the lesson by 
an inclined mark, thus /, or your attendance on the main school by 
an X. 
Home Department of . Sunday School 



Class No 

Names of Members 



Month of 



i 2345 



Month of 



Month of 



12345 



Missionary offerings- 



Totals. 



Unless called for, this card when filled should be returned to 
street, when another card 



will be sent you. 



Of course the regular card ought to be made larger 
than the specimen given above. 



THE HOME DEPARTMENT. 235 

The Committee Having in Charge this depart- 
ment of the work should then make a regular report to 
the home school, so that the work done by the Home 
Department can be recognized as being identically the 
same as that done by those in regular Sunday-school 
attendance. 

If Any One Ask what are the peculiar advantages of 
the Home Department, we reply : First, because it is 
an unspeakable blessing to those who enter it. Though 
they pledge themselves to study the Bible for only one 
half hour each week, this will prove most helpful to 
them. I fear that without some such pledge there are 
multitudes of church members (to say nothing of non- 
church members) who do not give one half hour a 
week to the study of God's Word. This is truly lament- 
able, for many of these same individuals give many 
hours each week to the reading of the daily paper, 
or the perusal of the last novel. 

But Beside This, the Home Department aids the 
school by creating a Sunday-school spirit in the homes 
of the community, and by increasing the attendance 
at the Sunday-school sessions themselves. If parents 
study the lesson, even though they do not attend school, 
will they not be more in sympathy with their children, 
who are engaged upon the same portions of God's 
Word? Will they not willingly help them, and possibly 
be helped by them to a better understanding of the 
Word of Life? 



236 WAYS OF WORKING. 

It Increases the Contributions, for there are few 
Home Department scholars who are not able to give 
something each week, either toward the expenses of the 
school, or toward the spread of the gospel in our own 
and other lands. Indeed, Home Departments are some- 
times financially much more able to give than are the 
younger scholars in primary departments. 

Furthermore, the Home Department aids the 
church. The pastor, for example, knows that many of 
his people are studying selected portions of God's Word 
in their homes. This guides him in his preaching, and 
enables him to minister to the spiritual wants of his 
people much more intelligently. Indeed, the advan- 
tages of a Home Department such as we have been 
speaking of are very many, and the disadvantages 
are absolutely none. 

As Home Department Scholars do not meet with 
each other regularly in the week, it is well to have a 
rally at least once a quarter for their especial benefit. 
A " Home Department Sociable " is a most helpful thing, 
bringing the members into connection one with another, 
and stimulating mutual acquaintance and sympathy. 
These need not be at all expensive affairs. A little lemon- 
ade and cake is quite sufficient to meet all the requirements 
of such a gathering. If this be not possible, it is well 
to aim at a union of the Home Department with the 
regular Sunday school as frequently as possible. Once 
a quarter, or once every six months it surely could be 



THE HOME DEPARTMENT. 237 

brought about. In this way the connection between the 
home school and its Home Department would be made 
vital, and parents and children together would find the 
reunion most charming. 

After a School has Started its Home Depart- 
ment, the visitors must be kept up to their work by 
kindly supervision and earnest Christian sympathy. To 
do this is not difficult, though it may require on the part 
of the leaders the " grace of continuity." Some of the 
members will move away, others naturally will drop 
out. Available persons will move into the district, and 
the loss must be made good by new material. All this 
can be done only by "patient continuance in well do- 
ing." But here, as well as everywhere else, labor has 
its own reward. 

If the Pastor of Any Church be in close touch 
with his Home Department visitors, they can bring him 
much information concerning the home life of his 
people, which he otherwise would not get. The pastor 
cannot be everywhere at the same time, and wants arise 
in homes of which he is entirely ignorant. If his visi- 
tors inform him of these wants seasonably, he can go to 
meet them, when under other circumstances the needy 
ones would be left to suffer. This is no small advan- 
tage to the active and overworked pastor. 

Every Community Will Have its own difficulties 
in starting a Home Department, but if we will be fright- 



238 WAYS OF WORKING. 

ened by difficulties, we may as well never begin any 
good work. As a matter of fact, Home Departments 
have been successfully managed in large cities like 
New York, and . in small and scattered rural districts. 
" Where there is a will there is away," and whoever 
begins this new departure with a thorough determina- 
tion to succeed will certainly not fail. I have never 
heard of a Home Department well established that has 
been given up, for the benefits accruing to all from 
, its operation have been so great that the workers have 
been unwilling to abandon the plan. Try it in your 
school, and see if your experience does not bear witness 
to that of thousands of others. 

In case you desire Home Department literature, write 
to W. A. Wilde Company, no Boylston St., Boston, 
and*they will furnish you whatever you need. 



/ 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: Sept. 2005 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
(724)779-2111 



